Charlotte Osei, deputies sacked

Mrs. Charlotte Osei is embroiled in corruption allegations and has been removed.[/caption] Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Ghana (EC) Charlotte Osei and two of her deputies, Amadu Sulley and Georgina Opoku Amankwa, have been removed from office by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. A statement signed by Information Minister Mustapha Hamid stated that the removal of the EC chair and her deputies comes on the back of recommendations from a committee set up to investigate the three on allegations brought against them by some staff of the Commission. According to the statement on Thursday, the committee recommended their removal pursuant to Article 146(1) of the constitution on the basis of stated “misbehaviour” and “incompetence”. The president has therefore asked the three to exit office “with immediate effect”. Allegations against EC Chair and deputies In June 2017, some workers of the EC petitioned President Akufo-Addo to impeach Charlotte Osei for disregarding administrative structures by allegedly abrogating contracts and making certain purchases contrary to procedures at the nation’s election management body. The president then charged the Chief Justice, Sophia Akuffo, to investigate the allegations by the EC workers, and this led to the constitution of a committee to look into the issues raised. The EC Chairperson, Charlotte Osei, also made allegations of corruption, among other things, against her two deputies, Ms Amankwa and Dr Sulley. [caption id="attachment_28784" align="alignnone" width="564"] The three commissioners have been at one another’s throat since the petition against the chair[/caption] Mrs Osei also alleged that Deputy Commissioner in charge of Finance and Administration had single-handedly signed a GH¢40 million contract on behalf of the Commission without informing her and the other deputy. Charlotte Osei, who took over from Dr Afari Gyan, in reaction to a petition by some anonymous staff of the Commission for her removal from office, alleged that Dr Sulley, who is charge of Operations, has been engaging in financial misappropriation at the EC. It is on the back of these allegations amidst a lot of back-and-forth among the three that the committee was set up in pursuant to Act 146 (4) of the constitution to investigate the allegations. The committee after its investigations has therefore recommended the removal of the three by the president. By Irene Amesimeku| 3news.com| Ghana Follow @3Newsgh    ]]>