Pressure mount to have DPP Haji investigated
An activist has petitioned court to coerce Commission on Administrative Justice (Ombudsman) to investigate the Office of Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) over unfair treatment claims.
The Noordin Mohamed Haji led office has been accused of abuse of power, unfair treatment, manifest injustice or unlawful, oppressive or unresponsive official conduct within the public sector.
The activist, Charles Rubia claimed there was discrimination and abuse of office in recruiting and employing staff members in the Office of the DPP.
“The recruitment, welfare and the working environment of the staff of DPP have greatly deteriorated and has been highly compromised becoming shambolic exercise full of undue procedures, and dependent upon the final decision to be made by DPP,” he argues in court documents.
Through lawyer Danstan Omari, the activist says recent revelations and insights into the internal affairs at the DPP’s office have shed light on the welfare and work environment which has become hostile and devoid of compliance to law and procedure.
“There have been numerous violations in the conduct of discharge of administrative functions and non-compliance of integrity requirements,” he says in court documents.
He contends that since Haji took office, there has been an unreasonable transfer of prosecution counsels from one station to another, disrupting court proceedings and causing undue traffic and delay of cases leading to miscarriage of justice.
He claims he wrote to the commission on November 21 calling for investigations into the compliance of integrity requirements in the conduct of administrative functions of the DPP.
He also claims that the Ombudsman, who is mandated to investigate complaints placed against DPP, has failed to do so despite a complaint being forwarded to the office.
He wants to be allowed to commence Judicial Review Proceedings to compel the commission to act in accordance with their legislative mandate and probe into the maladministration of DPP.
He also wants the court to prohibit Haji from interfering directly or indirectly with the discharge of the mandate of the commission while conducting the probe.
The PSC was asked to expedite the removal of Haji from office due to gross misconduct and incompetence.
The DPP was accused of lacking impartiality and exercising preferential treatment in handling his case which, he said, amounts to abuse of office.
Two petitions are still pending at the PSC, one filed by the late Tob Cohen’s family and another by another businessman but Haji obtained court orders restraining the PSC from hearing them.
