The Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) has determined that Members of Parliament (MPs) are not required to redeclare their assets when they assume additional public roles, including appointments as Ministers or Deputy Speakers.
The decision follows an Ombudsman investigation into a petition filed by journalist Wilberforce Asare against Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Bernard Ahiafor. In a letter dated February 11, 2026, CHRAJ dismissed the complaint, describing it as “frivolous and vexatious,” according to a report by thelawplatform.online.
In its ruling, CHRAJ, under the leadership of Commissioner Dr Joseph Whittal, stated that requiring MPs to redeclare their assets each time they take up new public positions would be impractical. The Commission noted that such a requirement would place an unnecessary administrative burden on the Auditor-General due to the high volume of declarations that would be generated.
As a result, CHRAJ cleared Bernard Ahiafor of any wrongdoing for not redeclaring his assets after assuming the position of Board Chair of State Insurance Company PLC.
The Commission further referenced constitutional provisions governing asset declaration. Articles 286 to 288 of the 1992 Constitution mandate asset declaration for specified public office holders, while the Public Office Holders (Declaration of Assets and Disqualification) Act, 1998 (Act 550), outlines the categories of officials required to comply.
