CHRAJ, EOCO have back-up documents • After fire gutted Old Parliament House
In spite of the fire that gutted the Old Parliament House in Accra last Thursday, documents belonging to the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), the Economic and Organised Crimes Office (EOCO) and the Commission on Judgement Debts are said to be intact.
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While CHRAJ has dismissed claims that its investigations into recent corruption issues such as SADA and the SUBAH saga were lost in the fire outbreak, the Judgement Debt Commission has assured the public, especially its stakeholders, that although the fire incident had been severe, it did not affect any life and that it would not seriously affect its work.
For its part, EOCO said although computers and lorry tyres contained in one big store were destroyed, that had not affected its operations.
In a radio interview, the Commissioner of CHRAJ, Mrs Lauretta Vivian Lamptey, said although the commission lost substantial documents to the fire, there were back-ups for recent works and gave an assurance that there was no cause for alarm, as the commission had a back-up system.
At a news conference in Accra yesterday, she blamed the fire on poor electrical wiring in the building.
She said although she had filed a number of complaints about the deteriorating electrical wiring system, nothing had been done about it.
At an emergency meeting chaired by the Chief of Staff, Mr Prosper Bani, and attended by the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Mrs Marietta Brew Appiah-Oppong, and representatives of the affected offices in the building, the affected offices were requested to provide preliminary reports on their needs.
The Old Parliament House accommodates CHRAJ, the EOCO and the Commission on Judgement Debts.
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CHRAJ items destroyed
However, a Deputy Commissioner of CHRAJ, Mr Joe Whittal, told the Daily Graphic that the commission lost its entire library, which contained all its publications since its inception, foreign law reports and journals dated as far back as 1914.
He added that the entire Public Education Department had also been lost and that the department was responsible for nationwide protection and promotion of fundamental freedoms and human rights.
According to Mr Whittal, the Research Unit that published all reports, including the annual state of human rights report, had also been destroyed, as well as data and equipment, including computers and records, both on soft and hard copies.
“The fire also gutted the Human Resource Unit, destroying all documents and records that were kept in that office,” he said.
He said the whole of the Anti-Corruption Department had been completely destroyed, along with equipment and documents.
He added that the stores unit that recently made a large procurement, including stationery, tyres, computers, among others, was also gutted by the fire.
Also the office of the Transport Officer which contained keys to 15 newly purchased cross-country vehicles and some other documentation on the commission’s assets was destroyed.
The deputy CHRAJ boss stated that about 40 members of staff had been displaced as a result of the fire outbreak.
The CHRAJ headquarters, therefore, he said, could not operate, as the fire had disrupted electricity supply.
EOCO
A source at the EOCO told the Daily Graphic that because of the extensive destruction of its property, EOCO had been compelled to move into its newly established offices ahead of the scheduled date.
Judgement Debt Commission
A statement signed and issued by Mr George William Dove, the Public Relations Officer of the Judgement Debt Commission, said the commission would relocate to a place to be announced soon.
It expressed its gratitude to the Ghana National Fire Service, the Ghana Police Service, the Ghana Armed Forces and the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) for their prompt response which ensured that the fire was put out.
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“The Commission of Inquiry into Judgement Debt awaits the Fire Report from the Fire Service to know the cause of the fire,” it said, and expressed appreciation to the public for their concern and unflinching support for the commission’s work.