LUCAS KWADZOGA ALAGBO AND SOCIAL SECURITY AND NATIONAL INSURANCE TRUST (SSNIT)

LUCAS KWADZOGA ALAGBO AND SOCIAL SECURITY AND NATIONAL INSURANCE TRUST (SSNIT)... [2013]DLCHRAJ5967

Date	2013-01-23
Suit No.	CHRAJ/373/2007/63
Citation No.	[2013]DLCHRAJ5967

JOSEPH WHITTAL

[2013]DLCHRAJ5967
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" ><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;
color:#00B050">LUCAS KWADZOGA ALAGBO<o:p></o:p>(COMPLAINANT)<o:p></o:p>AND<o:p></o:p><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;
color:#00B050">SOCIAL SECURITY AND NATIONAL INSURANCE TRUST (SSNIT) –<o:p></o:p>(RESPONDENT)<o:p></o:p>(CHRAJ)<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.0pt;
mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext .5pt;padding:31.0pt 31.0pt 1.0pt 31.0pt;
mso-border-shadow:yes">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:
none;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext .5pt;padding:0in;
mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 1.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">CHRAJ/373/2007/63&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;23/1/2013<o:p></o:p>

<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;text-align:center;
mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext .5pt;
padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 1.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">DECISION<o:p></o:p>

</div>INTRODUCTION<o:p></o:p>The Complainant is a
pensioneer who lodged a complaint alleging that an exorbitant interest was
charged by the Respondent Institution when he was asked to refund his SSNIT
pension benefit.<o:p></o:p>FACTS<o:p></o:p>According to the Complainant,
when he was about to retire from the Ghana Education Service (GES), he applied
for CAP 30 pension but was refused by the Controller and Accountant General. As
a result, his employer - (GES) directed that he goes to SSNIT for his pension
benefits. The Complainant applied for his SSNIT pension benefit and was paid
accordingly. The Complainant continued that he found out later that he should
have been paid his pension benefit under CAP 30 instead of SSNIT pension. He
therefore wrote to SSNIT to enable him refund the pension he had taken from
them in order to apply for CAP 30 pension benefit instead.<o:p></o:p>According to the Complainant, the Respondent agreed but on condition
that he refunded the monies taken with interest. The Complainant applied for a
waiver of the interest stating that the payment of the pension to him was an
error. The Complainant continued that since he needed the Respondent's
clearance in order to apply for the CAP 30, he refunded all the pension he took
from SSNIT with interest. The Complainant's contention was that the Repondent
should not have charged any interest on the money since it was their duty to
advise him on which pension to take. The Complainant petitioned the Commission
to prevail on the Respondent to refund the interest he paid on the pension he
refunded.<o:p></o:p>In their comments to the Commission, the Respondent explained that
the Complainant was refused CAP 30 pension because he broke service in the
course of his employment with GES even though he was later reinstated. As a
result of this, his effort to claim his pension benefits under CAP 30 failed
then he applied for SSNIT pension on the basis that he continued to contribute
towards SSNIT as required by law. On this basis the Complainant was paid SSNIT
pension.<o:p></o:p>THE
COMMISSION'S MANDATE<o:p></o:p>The Commission in accepting to
carry out investigations into the matter was guided by its administrative
justice mandate in Section 7(1)(a) of the Commission on Human Rights and
Administrative Justice Act, 1993 (Act 456) which states as follows:<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:5.0pt;
margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:
31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">“The functions of the Commission are to investigate complaints of
violations of fundamental rights and freedoms, injustice, corruption, abuse of
power and unfair treatment of any person by a public officer in the exercise of
his official duties”.<o:p></o:p>ISSUES FOR
DETERMINATION<o:p></o:p><ol style="margin-top:0in" start="1" type="1">
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; border: none;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;
 font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;
 mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;">Whether or not interest should have
 been charged by SSNIT<o:p></o:p></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5pt; text-align: justify; border: none;"><span style="font-size:
 12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;mso-fareast-font-family:
 &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;">Whether or not the
 payment of the interest was fair<o:p></o:p></li>
</ol>FINDINGS<o:p></o:p>On the first issue on whether
or not interest should have been charged by SSNIT, the Commission's
investigation revealed that a Committee was set up by the Respondent which
recommended that</main>