The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has flagged a GH₵2 million payment by the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) and given the Ministry of Finance and GRA 30 days to clarify who should be held accountable for the expenditure.
The payment is linked to court cases arising from multiple license suspensions, which GRA had considered proper administrative actions. However, some officials associated with three of the companies could not be identified, as key data was lost or erased during system migrations, making it difficult for GRA to present evidence in court.
Representing the Ministry before PAC today, Deputy Finance Minister Hon. Thomas Nyarko Ampem explained that the GH₵2 million payment was not due to the license suspensions themselves, but rather because of the difficulty in defending the cases in court.
He emphasized the challenge of tracing responsibility, noting it was unclear whether accountability should fall on those who suspended the licenses or those who failed to provide the necessary evidence. In his words, “The challenge they had was proving that in court… the difficulty in proving the matter in court led to the payment of the GH₵2 million, not necessarily the decision to suspend the licenses.”
Hon. Ampem assured PAC that the Ministry and GRA are actively investigating the matter and would submit a comprehensive report within 30 days. He noted that the investigation would help clarify accountability, strengthen administrative processes, and prevent similar issues in the future.
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The session also highlighted broader challenges within GRA, including system migrations, data management, and record-keeping, which have occasionally hampered the agency’s ability to enforce regulations and defend its actions in court. PAC underscored the importance of clarity and transparency in managing public funds, stressing that public resources must be protected and properly accounted for, particularly in enforcement actions such as license suspensions.
The committee noted that the findings from the Ministry’s report would be incorporated into its report to Parliament, and emphasized that the Minister of Finance should lead the investigation over the 30-day period to ensure a thorough and proper explanation is provided. This process is expected to guide improvements in GRA procedures, reduce potential financial losses, and enhance public trust in the revenue authority.
