Widespread public complaints over the ineffectiveness of the Ombudsperson’s Office for Transitional Justice (OOTJ) have been exacerbated after the Auditor General’s Office (AGO) found that it had failed to deliver on its mandate despite millions spent on administrative expenses.
During the previous Administration, OOTJ was established following the ratification of the Transitional Justice Act on 17 December 2020. It functions as an autonomous legal identity vested with powers to communicate, file a lawsuit or receive court charges under the Transitional Justice Act. The act sanctions investigations into past wrongdoings by state authorities, heads of agencies, or individuals in power, which resulted in human rights violations.
The eligibility time frame for cases that may be investigated by OOTJ runs from January 1, 1953, until November 17, 2018. OOTJ was tasked with completing the investigation of its cases within two years and submitting the charges to the Prosecutor General's Office (PGO) or the AGO if required.
However, when the two year term expired, hundreds of complaints filed had not been investigated which prompted the then government to extend its mandate for a further year.
According to the OOTJ’s audit reports for 2022 and 2023, out of the 489 complaints filed, only 111 had been successfully investigated despite the one year extension of its mandate.
During the three year term of OOTJ, a total of USD2.56 million was spent to run the office including USD1.69 million on just its payroll.
Despite hundreds of pending investigations, this Administration had dissolved the OOTJ and established a mechanism within the Attorney General’s (AG) Office to attend the pending complaints.