CHRAJ dismisses vote-buying and corruption allegation against Mahama

After the NDC presidential primaries in February 2019, the group petitioned CHRAJ calling on it to investigate Mahama for donating over 20 Nissan pickup and Renault Duster saloon cars to some NDC members.

The group said Mahama breached Section 238 of the Criminal Offenses Act of 1960 with his donation.

In April 2019, Mahama donated over 20 vehicles to the NDC, saying it was to enhance the operational capacity of the party’s regional offices.

It was widely claimed at the time that the Nissan pickups and Renault Duster saloon cars were donated by various benefactors to support Mr. Mahama during the party’s internal presidential primaries.

However, the Commission, in a 10-page report, dismissed the complainant’s petition, indicating that it was without merit.

At the end of its preliminary investigation into the allegations, the Commission came to the following findings of fact and conclusions:

a.) That the Respondent, HE former President John Dramani Mahama, is not a public officer;

b.) That the mandate of the Commission under Article 218 and Chapter 24 of the 1992 Constitution as well as s.7 (1) (a) and (c) of Act 456 deal specifically with public officers, and since the Commission has found as a fact that the position of a former President is not a public office, the anti-corruption investigative mandate of the Commission does not apply to the Respondent, a private citizen;

c.) And that the Commission finds as a fact that Respondent is not complicit in any ongoing corruption investigation by the Commission involving any public officer(s), adding that “investigation of corruption allegations against a public officer that implicates a private person makes that private person liable to the Commission’s corruption investigation mandate based on the Supreme Court’s interpretation of Article 218 of the 1992 Constitution in the Kamara case supra."