The Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) has said people who would take advantage of the Whistleblower Act passed in 2006 to report people to settle their personal scores would be dealt with under the law.
Mr Richard Quayson, a Deputy Commissioner of CHRAJ, said if investigations establish that a whistleblower had reported a fellow on
grounds of personal issues just to satisfy his or her personal interest he or she would be dealt with.
He was speaking at a day's training workshop on the Code of Conduct for Public Officers organized by the Commission for Western Regional Heads of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) at Sekondi.
Mr Quayson said though the act provided for the protection against victimization of persons who make disclosures, equally legal action could be taken against a whistleblower who deliberately provides false information against somebody based on personal malice.
He said the whistleblower Act of 2006 which regulates disclosures of impropriety in the country would be amended to make it more effective in addressing impropriety in the country.
The Act imposes responsibilities on the CHRAJ to receive and investigate disclosures of impropriety and to receive and investigate
complaints of victimization of whistleblowers.
According to him a Whistleblower who makes a disclosure that leads to the arrest and conviction of an accused person would be rewarded with money from the Whistleblowers Reward Fund (WRF).
Equally, disclosure which results in the recovery of an amount of money would be rewarded from the WRF with 10 per cent of the amount recovered or the amount that the Attorney-General shall in consultation with the Inspector General of Police determine.
Mr. Quayson described impropriety as an act which involves the loss, mismanagement or misappropriation of public funds or cause loss,
mismanagement or misappropriation of public funds.
Impropriety also includes non-compliance with a law which imposes an obligation on a person, miscarriage of justice, waste of public resources, misappropriation or mismanagement of public resources, environmental degradation and endangering the Health or Safety of an individual or community.
He mentioned the Police Service, Attorney General's Department, CHRAJ, and others where report could be lodged.