A deputy Commissioner of the Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), Mr. Richard Quayson says CHRAJ must not be given enough powers to prosecute.

According to Mr. Quayson, the Commission would become a monster in the country if prosecutorial powers are given it.

“The Commission should not be empowered to either arrest or prosecute offenders of the law” adding that “rather it should continue to play its role as an investigative body otherwise it would be a monster in this country”.

His comments come after several calls on government to give CHRAJ the power to arrest and prosecute offenders.

But Mr. Quayson in an interview on Citi FM explained that CHRAJ was established and mandated by law to investigate issues related to human rights abuses and, therefore, could not play such an additional role and if given such a responsibility it would mean powering over the Commission.

Mr. Quayson also referenced that the courts in the country have the mandate of prosecuting law offenders and could not arrest, investigate and prosecute at the same time likewise CHRAJ could only investigate but not arrest and prosecute.