SML Scandal: Dr. Ammishaddai Has Not Run Away From Ghana; He Is On Leave – GRA Replies North Tongu MP

The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has refuted reports in the media that its Commissioner-General, Rev. Dr. Ammishaddai Adu Owusu-Amoah, has absconded from Ghana over the $100 million Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Limited (SML) corruption scandal.

In a statement,  the GRA stated that Rev. Dr. Ammishaddai Adu Owusu-Amoah is on a six-day leave and has not run away from Ghana over the ongoing investigation into the SML contract by KPMG.

It added that the commissioner-general is scheduled to resume work on Monday, January 15, 2024.

“Management of the GRA wishes to categorically state that, the Commissioner-General of GRA, Rev. Dr. Ammishaddai Owusu-Amoah, has not absconded as stated in the said publication.

“The Commissioner-General is currently on a scheduled six (6) day leave which had been approved a month ago. Rev. Dr. Owusu-Amoah will resume work on Monday, 15th January, 2024. While on leave, every engagement that is required of him or GRA in the Audit by KPMG is being diligently attended to either by himself or one of the commissioners,” part of the statement, reads.

It added that “It is a malicious, sensational, misleading and deliberate attempt to damage the reputation of the Commissioner-General, Rev. Dr. Ammishaddai Owusu-Amoah and the GRA as a whole”.

 

 

Read the full statement issued by the GRA below:

 

 

 

 

 

Dr. Owusu-Amoah speaks on the allegation.

The Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa on Wednesday, January 10, 2023, alleged on social media platform ‘X’ that Dr. Owusu-Amoah and his entire nuclear family have absconded Ghana.

According to Mr. Ablakwa, the Commissioner-General left the country hours before President Akufo-Addo called for an investigation into the matter.

But speaking to Joy Business, Dr. Owusu-Amoah, said the allegations by the MP are false and unfounded.

According to him, he is back in the country going about his duties as Commissioner-General of the GRA after a short visit with his family outside the country.

“As you can see I have not abandoned my position because of the SML deal”, he said after Joy Business caught up with him during an inspection tour of some GRA offices in the Greater Accra region.

“I am back in the country after a brief visit outside the country which was planned earlier this year”

He assured that the GRA will continue to work as prescribed by the laws of the country to generate the needed revenue for economic development.

He stressed that all staff and personnel in the authority have pledged their commitment to assist the current administration achieve the revenue target outlined for the year.

He is hopeful the GRA will be able overcome all challenges facing the authority through engagements with businesses and individuals to improve tax compliance.

 

 Background:

The Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, alleged that the Commissioner-General of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), Rev. Dr. Ammishaddai Adu Owusu-Amoah, and his entire nuclear family have absconded Ghana over the $100 million Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Limited (SML) corruption scandal.

According to him, the commissioner-general, who signed the $100 million SML contract, left the country hours before President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo called for an investigation into the matter.

The MP, who made these claims in a post shared on X on Wednesday, January 11, 2024, accused President Akufo-Addo of having no intention to get to the bottom of the SML matter because there is no way the GRA boss could have travelled out of the country without his blessings.

He added that “the Owusu-Amoahs’ first travel destination when they left Accra a week ago was São Tomé and Príncipe, and continuous tracking appears to paint a picture of a family in no hurry to return to Ghana, that is, if they will ever return.”

Ablakwa also alleged that the commissioner-general has told his close relations that he has no intention of returning to Ghana anytime soon.

He pointed out that the absence of the GRA boss means that the investigation Akufo-Addo called for, which is being conducted by KPMG, would go nowhere.

 

About the SML scandal:

An investigation piece by an Accra-based media house, The Fourth Estate, titled, ‘The GH¢ 3 Billion Lie’, accused the Ministry of Finance of awarding a $100 million contract to SML to monitor Upstream Petroleum Production and to Audit the value chain of Minerals and Metals Resources.

Both the GRA and SML came out to justify the agreements that bind the two entities.

SML has stated that its upstream operations have not commenced, and therefore, no revenue has been generated. The company pointed out that the $100 million per year payment allegation is entirely fictional.

President Akufo-Addo appointed KPMG to conduct an immediate audit into the transaction between the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) and Strategic Mobilization Ghana Ltd (SML).

A contract which was entered into to enhance revenue assurance in the downstream petroleum sector, the upstream petroleum production and minerals and metals resources value chain.

In a statement issued by the Director of Communication at the Presidency, Eugene Arhin indicated that the President also tasked KPMG to complete the assignment in two weeks and submit appropriate recommendations to him.

The president also directed the Ministry of Finance and GRA to provide KPMG with whatever assistance they will require for conduct of the audit.

He further directed the Ministry of Finance and the Ghana Revenue Authority to suspend the performance of the contract, pending the submission of the audit report, including any payments presently envisaged under its terms.

 

 

 

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