President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has refused a request by the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) to allow revenue assurance operations by Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Limited (SML) to continue alongside investigations into the viability of the contract between the two entities.
President Akufo-Addo in on January 2 directed that the contract with SML be suspended while the accounting and auditing firm, KPMG conducts an audit into the arrangement.
The directive to suspend the contract included payments to SML under the contract.
But the Commissioner-General of GRA, Rev. Dr. Ammisshaddai Owusu-Amoah, appealed to the president in a letter dated January 16 to allow continuation of the revenue assurance, noting that the continuation was needed to ensure that the state does not lose revenue within the period of the audit.
“SML has expressed concerns about operation ramifications and disruptions that will arise from the intended suspension of operation,” he explained.
“Having carefully reviewed the concern and based on our own understanding of the contract and the deliverables, we are of the opinion that the system that has been installed to enhance revenue assurance, for control purposes, and also to aid with the ongoing investigations, could, with your kindest permission, be allowed to run.”
But the Director of Communications at the Office of the President, Eugene Arhin said even though President Akufo-Addo took note of the GRA’s request to allow the monitoring system installed to continue, he turned it down.
“The President has denied GRA’s request, and has directed that the status quo, with respect to the suspension of the performance of the contract, should remain in effect until the completion of the audit and, subsequent, submission of the audit report by KPMG,” Mr. Arhin said in a statement on January 24, 2024.
Meanwhile, he said, President Akufo-Addo has extended the period within which KPMG is to complete its audit on the transaction from the initial date of Tuesday, 16th January 2024, to a new date of Friday, 23rd February 2024.
This follows a request made by KPMG to the President requesting for an extension of the two-week period originally given the company to undertake the assignment.
“KPMG is to submit its final report no later than Friday, 23rd February 2024,” his statement stressed.