The aggrieved Electoral Commission (EC) Staff whose petition caused the eventual removal of Charlotte Osei as EC Chairperson, have also dragged her to the Special Prosecutor.
The two, Forson Ampofo and Godsway Dadjoe, filed a petition at the Office of Special Prosecutor, requesting that the dismissed EC boss be prosecuted for causing financial loss to the State.
[contextly_sidebar id=”5KzE8Bzl6DWKZkLb9fuzGRQkFZJ4uAFy”]In their petition, they cited the controversial Aerovote, STL, Dreamoval, and Quarzar contracts under Charlotte Osei’s tenure, as suspicious deals.
They requested that criminal investigations be instituted against her.
They also want her acquisition of a new Head Office for the Commission to be investigated.
President Nana Akufo-Addo on June 28, 2018, removed Charlotte Osei and her two deputies – Amadu Sulley and Georgina Opoku Amankwa from office upon the recommendation of a committee set up by the Chief Justice, to investigate separate complaints brought by some Ghanaian citizens.
The Chief Justice’s Committee also recommended prosecution.
Charlotte Osei was accused of various procurement breaches, whilst her deputies were also found guilty of the same offenses as well as financial malfeasance.
The staff of the EC first petitioned President Nana Akufo-Addo in July 2017, to remove Mrs. Osei from office over allegations of fraud and financial malfeasance as well as abuse of office.
Some of the allegations involved the unilateral award of contracts by the EC boss in the run-up to the 2016 general election.
The petition against her alleged, among other things, the funneling of GHc3.9 million to partition an office, the receipt of a Toyota Land Cruiser from the Mahama government, and the use of about $14 million when the Public Procurement Authority had authorized her to use only $7.5 million.
Mrs. Osei also responded by making allegations of corruption against her deputies.
She claimed she was only being hounded because she sought to introduce systems to curb mismanagement.
Charlotte Osei accused a deputy Chairperson of the Commission of illegally signing contracts worth over GHc 40 million without her approval.
Another individual, by name Douglas Seidu, also petitioned the President in August 2017 seeking the removal of the EC Chair, on the grounds of “financial misconduct, incompetence, conflict of interest and breaches of the public procurement processes.
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By: Sixtus Dong Ullo/citinewsroom.com/Ghana
