For transparency and independent investigation into the revenue assurance contract between the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) and Strategic Mobilisation Limited (SML), Isaac Adongo, Ranking Member on Parliament’s Finance Committee, has asked President Akufo-Addo to make public the KPMG audit report on the contract.
He has asked that the President also makes available a copy of the report in Parliament when they reconvene from recess.
A statement from the Bolgatanga Central Member of Parliament Friday, April 26, 2024, he said accountability is paramount in governance for public trust, reemphasising on the Minority’s readiness to uncover any breaches and irregularities in the contract.
Expressing the Minority’s quest to protect the public purse, he said they would ensure the government doesn’t conceal anything in the contract from the public.
Mr. Adongo rallied the public’s support, in the interest of the state, to join them to put the government on its toes to execute every contract with integrity.
“At this moment, I respectfully request that Parliament be furnished with a copy of the KPMG report to aid the Finance Committee’s investigation.
“It strikes me as unusual that the report only contains mild suggestions and recommendations despite the abundance of information available to the public regarding the SML arrangement.
“Consequently, we must scrutinize the comprehensiveness of their mandate, including their TOR, methodology, and approach.”
“Our primary objective is to expose the beneficial owners of this group and utilize Parliament’s authority to recover the funds that have been paid due to this illegality.
“I trust that the President understands that my Parliamentary scrutiny request is founded on section 33 of the PFM Act, which mandates that Parliament authorize contracts with multi-year obligations in the first instance.”
“For the unsuspecting public, this recent development further reinforces the belief amongst many discerning people of Ghana, that Bawumia and his associates are simply spearheading a corruption-infested digitalisation strategy steeped in delusions and shrewdness.
“Without equivocation, this government’s touted mantra of digitalisation is merely a scheme, a political propaganda of chicanery deployed to hoodwink and exploit the people of Ghana for their self-serving benefit,” portions of the report contained.
President Akufo-Addo charged KPMG to audit the contract between the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) and Strategic Mobilisation Limited (SML) when issues of fraud was alleged through a Fourth Estate investigation.
The audit findings revealed that SML has received a total of GH¢1,061,054,778 since 2018 while fulfilling its obligations partially.
SML has challenged that finding, claiming however that the report in general justifies the contract.
GH¢1bn payment to us inaccurate – SML refutes claim in KPMG report
