[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he Chairperson of the Electoral Commission of Ghana, Mrs. Charlotte Osei has dismissed the allegations that she has received a V8 Landcruiser with registration WR 2291-15 from the former President Mahama in 2015.
She however, admits being allocated a vehicle from the office of the then Chief of Staff which is the normal practice.
[ads1]”Indeed, the office of the Chief of Staff provided and continues to provide vehicles for many government institutions and appointees.” – The EC boss stated
The allegation was one of the claims by some unknown staffs of the Electoral Commission represented by the counsel Mr. Maxwell Opoku-Agyemang who alleged that “Following her [EC Boss] appointment as EC chair, Mrs. Charlotte compromised the independence and neutrality of the Commission by arranging for 2015 V8 Landcruiser with registration WR 2291-15 from the Office of the President for use as official vehicle without going through the procurement process or recourse to the Commission.”
However, in about 17 pages response to all the claims in the petition, the EC Boss through her lawyers said “Mrs. Osei does not use a vehicle with the said registration number WR2291-15. Following her appointment as Chairperson, the Office of the Chief of Staff allocated Mrs. Osei a vehicle. This is certainly not a new practice in Ghana’s public service. Indeed, the office of the Chief of Staff provided and continues to provide vehicles for many government institutions and appointees. The Chairperson could therefore not have compromised her independence or neutrality as she neither requested nor lobbied for the said vehicle”
The EC Boss noted that doing a normal business with the government cannot in anyway be argued that those relationships could compromises the neutrality of the commission.
“Indeed, this flawed argument would imply that the Commission receiving money from the Government of Ghana compromises the neutrality of” – she quizzed
Source: AwakeAfrica.com | Efo Korsi Senyo
