Ibrahim Mahama probe: Prosecute GRA officials for dereliction of duty – IMANI

Vice President of Policy Think Tank, IMANI Ghana, Kofi Bentil has called for the prosecution of officials of Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) who accepted 44 cheques from Ibrahim Mahama, brother of ex President John Mahama which were not honoured.

According to him, these officials must face the law for gross dereliction of duty.

The Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) has ordered Mr Ibrahim Mahama, to pay GH¢12.7m to the state by May 8, 2017.

The amount represents duty for construction equipment he cleared at the Tema Port and issued about 44 cheques which were not honoured.

He was picked up by the anti-corruption agency on Tuesday in relation to an ongoing investigation over the cheques.

Mr Mahama, owner of the construction company, Engineers & Planners, met EOCO on Friday for the third time in the week.

Commenting on the issue on Joy FM’s News File show Saturday, Mr Bentil who’s a Lawyer by profession said a crime has been committed in the matter, the GRA officials who supervised the transaction must not be left free.

“…44 cheques is a trend, the amount involved is collosal. Honestly I don’t think Mr Ibrahim Mahama is the problem here, I think he took undue advantage of a situation. It is the people who sat there and took 44 different cheques and let him raise a bill to that tune who must be lined up and prosecuted for gross dereliction of duty.

…This also tells you the kind of problems we have in that system, if you and I go and sweat in the cold in Norway or England work for years and buy a simple car and you fail to pay some of those exhorbitant duties they lay on you, people walk from all kinds of places, take your car away and that is legal plunder and it is wrong. And let other people go away with things like this, so this thing is bad for what it is, it just to be a high profile case because the former President’s brother is involved and I think because of that it’s going to gather a lot more attention but maybe not for the bad aspects. I will shine a light on these practices.”