GRA’s request to continue SML monitoring amid probe rejected by President Akufo-Addo
The Ghana Revenue Authority’s request to allow for the running of the Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Limited (SML), system that has been installed to enhance revenue assurance, for control purposes has been denied by President Akufo-Addo.
This comes after the GRA had argued that the “system will continue to record data real-time until your further directive after the conclusion of the investigation.”
They made this request in a rejoinder to the President dated January 16, 2024, and signed by the Commissioner General of GRA, Rev. Dr Amishaddai Owusu-Amoah.
The request, according to GRA, stemmed from concerns raised by SML about operation ramifications and disruptions that would arise from the intended suspension of operations.
However, in a statement by the Jubilee House, the President “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.”
President Akufo-Addo on January 2, 2024, appointed audit and accounting firm, KPMG, to audit the contract and submit a report in two weeks.
But upon the firm’s request, the latest communique also revealed that the President has granted the extension to ensure a more comprehensive report.
“The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has extended the period within which KPMG is to complete its audit on the transaction between the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) and Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Ltd (SML), from the initial date of Tuesday, 16th January 2024, to a new date of Friday, 23rd February 2024.”
