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North Tongu Member of Parliament in the Volta Region, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has clapped at the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) after the authority demanded an apology from the former in a release.
The lawmaker in a recent post on Facebook alleged that GRA’s Commissioner-General, Rev. Dr. Ammishaddai Owusu-Amoah has fled the country following President Nana Akufo-Addo’s directives for an investigation into the GRA and Strategic Mobilisation Limited revenue assurance contract.
GRA on Thursday, January 11, 2024, in a statement dismissed Mr. Ablakwa’s claims as false noting that its Commissioner-General is currently on leave and will resume work on 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.”
The GRA further asked the MP to apologise for making false claims.
However, the MP in a response stated categorically that he does not owe the GRA any apology and therefore, they should not expect one from him.
“I have become aware of the GRA statement. Let me assure the GRA that I do not owe them an apology, and they surely are not going to get one.”
According to him, the GRA’s response abysmally fails to discredit the findings of his unimpeachable parliamentary oversight.
“Consistent with the revelations I published, the GRA has only confirmed that Ghana is the only country in the world where the President orders a crucial audit into a ginormous scandal and the head of the organisation under audit is concurrently allowed to proceed on leave and assisted to travel out of the country during the said audit — absolutely incredulous!
“Under another incorruptible President, this GRA boss would have been fired for daring to leave the jurisdiction during such a high-profile national audit into the create, loot and share scheme he collaborated with Ken Ofori-Atta to perpetrate.
These bizarre developments and blatant official untruths are bound to happen when a corrupt government opts for deception and a grand cover-up instead of an honest, transparent and credible investigation into the US$100million SML scandal,” he said in his response.
Okudzeto Ablakwa maintained that nothing will stop him from pursuing the constitutional mandate of parliamentary oversight and added that “forward ever, backward never. For God and Country. Ghana First.”
