The Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) has disqualified former Commissioner-General of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), Dr. Ammishaddai Owusu-Amoah, from holding public office for five years.
The Commission has also recommended that he and several company directors be prosecuted for corruption and fraud that caused the state to lose more than GHS 8.9 million.
This ruling follows a complaint filed in August 2022 by the Movement for Truth and Accountability (MFTA), a civil society organisation. The group accused Dr. Owusu-Amoah of overseeing fraudulent procurement deals involving vehicle and logistics supply contracts at the GRA.
CHRAJ’s investigation found that on October 1, 2021, the GRA awarded contracts to three companies—Ronor Motors Ltd, Sajel Motors & Trading Company Ltd, and Telinno Ghana Ltd—using the single-source procurement method. The Commission said the GRA misled the Public Procurement Authority (PPA) to approve this process, which violated the Public Procurement Act, 2003 (Act 663).
The investigation further revealed that two of the companies, Sajel Motors and Telinno Ghana, had no valid business locations and fraudulently entered separate agreements with Ronor Motors to supply the same vehicles. CHRAJ also discovered that all three firms were not tax compliant at the time. The inflated cost of the vehicles led to a financial loss of $826,551, equivalent to about GHS 8.97 million.
CHRAJ concluded that as the head of the GRA, Dr. Owusu-Amoah was responsible for the illegal actions that occurred under his supervision. The Commission said he failed to ensure transparency and accountability in the procurement process.
In addition to his disqualification and referral for prosecution, CHRAJ has directed the PPA to blacklist Sajel Motors Ltd and Telinno Ghana Ltd from conducting any future business with the government for misrepresenting their capacity to execute the contracts.
The Commission also urged the PPA to strictly enforce the Public Procurement Regulations, 2022 (L.I. 2466), especially in cases of single-source procurement, to prevent similar cases of fraud and wastage of public funds.
CHRAJ described the case as a major step in promoting accountability within public institutions and ensuring that state resources are managed responsibly.
Source:Lovinghananews.com
