Private legal practitioner, Amanda Clinton has outrightly dismissed concerns of a possible conflict of interest arising from the appointment of Senior KPMG Partner, Anthony Kwasi Sarpong as the Acting Commissioner-General of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA).
President John Dramani Mahama, following the resignation of the former Commissioner-General, appointed the KPMG executive to act as GRA boss.
However, a private citizen who believed this appointment was tainted with conflict of interest, initiated a legal process against the appointment. The suit initiated by Emmanuella Sarfowaah averred that Anthony Kwasi Sarpong at the time of his appointment was still a senior partner at KPMG and had not resigned.
She further indicated that KPMG “has or has had a number of FEE PAYING contractual working relationships with the 2nd Defendant with the Ist Defendant as its Senior Partner at least until 21st January 2025 or thereabout” leading to a possible conflict of interest.
A few days later, the suit was withdrawn by the plaintiff under Order 17 Rule 2.
But Amanda Clinton maintains that the suit was dead on arrival. She explains the lawsuit challenging the appointment was unfounded indicating that the Acting GRA boss had possibly resigned before his appointment.
She cannot fathom why the lingering profile still existing on the website of KPMG could be used as enough grounds to propagate a conflict of interest.
“Just because somebody is lingering on a particular website at a particular point in time does not mean that they didn’t formally give their resignation beforehand before moving to their next position,” Lawyer Amanda Clinton said in an interview monitored by The High Street Journal.
“That is what professionals do. And this is a professional from a big consulting house. So I would assume he gave his notice well in advance even if, you know, for their purposes, they kept his picture on the website,” she added.
Amanda Clinton further contends that the appointment made by President John Mahama was to ensure operational stability at the GRA, a critical institution responsible for revenue mobilization. She cited previous court rulings that prioritize practical governance over procedural rigidity, making the case that delaying or overturning the appointment would have disrupted the authority’s functions.
The legal practitioner also maintained that the new GRA boss is currently in an acting position which is pending the advice of a constitutionally required advice that the suit overlooked.
“The appointment letter said pending receipt of the constitutionally required advice. And he’s been giving this sort of temporary post. It hasn’t been finalized pending receipt of the constitutionally required advice. The appointment ensures continuity in GRA operations, one could argue. Previous court rulings support practical governance over procedural rigidity,” she further contended.
Although the lawsuit has been withdrawn, Amanda Clinton’s position maintains it lacked merit from the start.
For now, the GRA’s leadership transition remains intact, with expectations that the new Commissioner-General will steer the authority towards improved revenue mobilization and fiscal discipline.
