At a recent session of the Public Accounts Committee in Parliament, Member of Parliament representing Ningo-Prampram, Sam Nartey George, raised concerns regarding a contract awarded by the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) to Safaritech.
Sam George uncovered information indicating that Safaritech, a company purportedly registered in the United Kingdom, had actually been delisted since 2016.
In addition, he disclosed that the current address associated with Safaritech led to a tailoring shop located in Spintex.
These revelations have raised serious doubts about the legitimacy and credibility of the contract awarded by the GRA, as the company in question appears to have questionable registration status and an unconventional business address.
Questioning the GRA representatives, George stated, “Would it interest you if I told you that, according to our information, you engaged this company in 2020, despite it being delisted as a registered company in the UK since 2016? They had displayed the UK as their base of registration. What due diligence did you carry out before engaging them?”
In response, Dr. Ammishaddai Owusu-Amoah, the Commissioner-General of the Ghana Revenue Authority, admitted, “I will gather this information because I didn’t expect it to be part of today’s schedule. I don’t think that was around 2020, but I will check and provide you with the necessary information.”
Undeterred, Sam George emphasized, “Well, that doesn’t change the fact that in 2016, this company was delisted. Moreover, you imposed a 773 million US dollar back tax on MTN Ghana Limited, designated as the best corporate taxpayer in Ghana, based on a Safaritech report that KPMG disputed. What due diligence was carried out, and at what cost? Could you provide details of the consultancy that Safaritech conducted and its cost to the taxpayer?”
The GRA boss requested time to gather accurate information to provide a comprehensive response.
George then requested that the committee be furnished with the details of the cost associated with Safaritech’s engagement, to clarify the nature of their involvement with a company whose listed address is currently a tailoring shop on Spintex Road.
Based on this, the chairman of the PAC committee James asked GRA to provide this information before the House in two weeks.