Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, a member of Parliament for North Tongu, has declined a request from the Ghana Revenue Authority to apologize for claiming Rev. Dr. Ammishaddai Owusu-Ansah has fled the country following President Nana Akufo-Addo’s directives for an investigation into the GRA and Strategic Mobilisation Limited revenue assurance contract.
The MP claims that he does not owe the GRA an apology and therefore, they should not expect one from him.
The Ghana Revenue Authority dismissed false claims by North Tongu Member of Parliament, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, that its Commissioner-General absconded following President Nana Akufo-Addo’s directives for an investigation into the GRA and Strategic Mobilisation Limited revenue assurance contract.
The lawmaker who represents the constituents of North Tongu MP, in a Facebook post alleged that GRA’s Commissioner-General, Rev. Dr. Ammishaddai Owusu-Amoah has died the country.
He said the reverend minister fled the country with his nuclear family less than twenty-four hours after the president called for investigations to be conducted.
However, the GRA says the claims made by the MP were false.
The statement disclosed that the Commissioner-General is currently on leave.
It further revealed Commissioner-General is expected to 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 the false claims.
“Management of the GRA finds the publication to be a total misrepresentation of facts. 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.
“We hereby demand an immediate retraction of the said publication from all media platforms and an unqualified apology from Hon. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa and ghextractives.com for the misrepresentation of facts.”
But in a swift response, the MP said “the GRA response abysmally fails to discredit the findings of my unimpeachable parliamentary oversight.
The GRA release further states that Rev. Dr. Ammishaddai Owusu-Ansah is on a 6-day leave and will resume work on January 15, 2024. This does not add up. The GRA Commissioner-General left Ghana on January 3, 2024 — a few hours after the January 2, 2024 presidential directive of a KPMG audit. Leaving Ghana on the 3rd of January, 2024 and resuming work on the 15th of January, 2024 which instructively is the entire period of the promised 2-weeks audit cannot be described as a 6-day leave.
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.”
Read his full response below
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.
The GRA response abysmally fails to discredit the findings of my 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.
The GRA release further states that Rev. Dr. Ammishaddai Owusu-Ansah is on a 6-day leave and will resume work on January 15, 2024. This does not add up. The GRA Commissioner-General left Ghana on January 3, 2024 — a few hours after the January 2, 2024 presidential directive of a KPMG audit. Leaving Ghana on the 3rd of January, 2024 and resuming work on the 15th of January, 2024 which instructively is the entire period of the promised 2-weeks audit cannot be described as a 6-day leave.
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.
Nothing will stop us from pursuing our constitutional mandate of parliamentary oversight. Forward ever, backward never!
For God and Country.
Ghana First. ??
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
