President Akufo-Addo has dismissed a petition calling for the removal of the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC), Jean Mensa.
The dismissal of the petition, according to the Secretary to the President, Nana Bediatuo Asante, followed a determination of no adverse evidence of a legal breach by Mrs. Mensa as contained in the pro-NDC group petition.
Pro-National Democratic Congress (NDC) pressure group, Alliance for Social Equity and Public Accountability (ASEPA), led by its Executive Secretary, Mensah Thompson, had petitioned President Akufo-Addo to remove Mrs Mensa from office on the grounds that she failed to declare her assets on time on assumption of office in 2018.
The Presidency then forwarded the petition to the Chief Justice for action, but the Chief Justice did not establish prima facie or any adverse evidence of a legal breach against the EC Chair.
The Chief Justice did not also find any statute that criminalises the non-declaration of assets within the stipulated time in the Constitution, according to the Secretary to the President in a statement.
ASEPA had earlier on December 12, 2019, filed a similar complaint at the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) that Mrs Mensa failed or refused to declare her assets.
CHRAJ ruled in favour of the Chairperson of the EC.
In its decision on June 4, 2020, CHRAJ held that at the time the complaint was filed on December 12, 2019, the EC boss had not filed her assets with the Auditor-General, but she filed her assets on February 17, 2020, after the complaint was brought to her attention.
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