Ibrahim Mahama vindicated as new corruption scandal rocks GRA

Ghanaian

An anti-corruption group, Movement for Truth and Accountability, has demanded the immediate arrest of some officers at Timo Ventures for allegedly issuing a fake bank guarantee to clear goods seized by the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA).

The group's investigations revealed that some private companies owing millions to the state were allowed to have their seized goods and

Read full articleconsignments released after issuing dud checks and bank guarantees, despite ongoing investigations, the Insight Newspaper reports.

This development raises questions about the due diligence conducted by GRA regarding the fake bank guarantee before approving the clearance of the goods.

The Movement for Truth and Accountability alleges that GRA personnel are shielding Timo Ventures, which vindicates Mr. Ibrahim Mahama, the brother of former President John Dramani Mahama, whose cheque went through without issue.

The former GRA Customs Division Boss, Alhaji Seidu, confirmed the arrest of some goods in Kumasi by the monitoring team, belonging to Timo Ventures. He explained that the company applied to pay with a Post Dated cheque, which was referred to the legal department for verification.

However, the Movement for Truth and Accountability claims that the cheque was fake, as confirmed by the bank.

The group has given GRA a two-week ultimatum to arrest Timo Ventures and recover the money owed to the state. Failure to do so may result in legal action to compel GRA to act.

The group believes that there is a conspiracy within GRA to allow such corruption to occur and calls for swift action to address the situation.

The group's convener, Mr. Joseph Bediako, stated, "We as a movement know very well that somebody took something from Timo Ventures that is why the bank guarantee was not verified before releasing the goods."

He added, "We also know for a fact that the one who authorized the release of the goods was given something. If not, why did they not check the authenticity of the Bank Guarantee before releasing the seized goods."

Meanwhile, some traders have urged the government to amend the Value Added Tax (VAT) Act to facilitate its smoother implementation across the country.

According to the GRA, the VAT Act mandates a value-added tax on the supply of goods and services within the country, excluding exempt items, as well as on the importation of goods and services.