The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) is grappling with recovering a GH¢2 million judgment debt incurred after suspending the licenses of three companies for alleged malfeasance without granting them a fair hearing.
According to the Auditor General’s report, the GRA failed to provide relevant evidence to justify its actions, resulting in the court awarding a judgment debt against the Authority.
Mr Anthony Kwasi Sarpong, the Commissioner-General of the GRA on Monday told the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament (PAC) that the Authority was facing challenges in identifying the officers responsible for the infraction.
“Madam Chair, the recommendation is to charge the specific officers who were involved. At the moment, we have had difficulties, given the circumstances surrounding how these events occurred, to be able to identify the officers and assign them,” he explained to the Committee.
Mr Sarpong made the remarks when Mr Thomas Ampem Nyarko, a Deputy Finance Minister, led the Ministry of Finance, the Controller and Accountant-General Department, the GRA, and other agencies under the ministry to appear before PAC to answer some questions on infractions highlighted in the 2024 Auditor-General’s report.
Mr Saprong added that the GRA was struggling to implement the Auditor General’s recommendations due to the difficulty in identifying the officers involved, adding that, “That is why we’re reporting back to the Committee that we had difficulties in identifying the officers to be able to practically implement the recommendations.”
The PAC has tasked the GRA to take necessary steps to recover the debt and implement the Auditor General’s recommendations.
The PAC public hearing, which began on August 19, ended on August 25.
The PAC is expected to reconvene on Monday, September 29, to examine the Auditor-General’s report on MDAs for the year ended December 31, 2024.
Madam Abena Osei Asare, the Chairperson of PAC, announced after Monday’s public hearing in Parliament House, Accra.
Source: GNA
Source: ghanabusinessnews.com
