A former Chief Accountant of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), Mr Theophilus Aidoo-Mensah, has appealed to the Constitution Review Commission (CRC) to review the structures of CHRAJ in the Constitution as they stifle its development. Mr Aidoo-Mensah, who is now the District Chief Executive for Gomoa West, pointed out that the clause in the Constitution which made the position of the CHRAJ Commissioner equivalent to that of an Appeal Court Judge and the Deputy Commissioner equivalent to a High Court Judge, was retarding the progress of the Commission. Speaking to the Ghana News Agency at Apam on Thursday, Mr Aidoo-Mensah ,who is also the President of the National Association of Local Authorities of Ghana (NALAG), said because of that clause, no lawyer appointed by the Commission could rise above the position of a High Court Judge. He said as a result of this, brilliant lawyers appointed by the Commission and trained with its resources had to leave to seek greener pastures elsewhere. According to him, most lawyers who had deserted CHRAJ were now holding key positions in the Judiciary and elsewhere. Mr Aidoo-Mensah also appealed to the CRC to create room for additional positions of Deputy Commissioners. "If the positions of Deputy Commissioner are increased to about five or six as is the case of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), it will entice lawyers to stay and work with the CHRAJ," he asserted. The DCE further appealed to the CRC to remove ceilings placed by the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning on the budget of the Commission and allow it to defend its budget direct in Parliament. He pointed out that the ceiling placed on the Commission's budget had weakened its financial position, thereby making it difficult for them to get adequate resources for their work. Source: GNA