The Anti-Corruption Commission ACC has expressed concern after the Ombudsperson’s Office for Transitional Justice (OTJ) suspended three employees who had cooperated with the Commission.
ACC said in a statement that some of the top officials of OTJ had obstructed a team from ACC who went to the office in relation to an investigation by the ACC.
ACC also said that the top management of OTJ had taken action against three of its employees who cooperated with the ACC in its raid of the office. It said that it condemned these actions as the employee accesses have been revoked for these three staff and the OTJ had suspended the employees.
ACC lauded the actions of the three employees from OTJ who had cooperated with ACC in its investigation into the organization.
In further comments, ACC also said that allegations that the Commission was interfering with the issuance of documents and counter services provided at OTJ during its search of the office were baseless.
The tenure of OTJ would be up on Friday and many have criticised the office for the lack of results it had shown since it was formed in 2020.
President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih established under the Transitional Justice Act (Act number: 28/2020) on December 17, 2020.
The Transitional Justice Act aims to end the culture of impunity and strengthen the rule of law, thereby strengthening democratic governance. It sanctions investigations into past wrongdoings by state authorities, heads of agencies, or individuals in power, that resulted in human rights violations.
The Office of the Ombudsperson for Transitional Justice is an autonomous legal identity vested with powers to communicate, file a lawsuit, or receive court charges relating to circumstances addressed through the Transitional Justice Act.
