GRA struggles to recover GH¢2 million judgment debt after license suspension case

The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) is facing difficulties in recovering a GH¢2 million judgment debt it incurred after suspending the licenses of three companies for alleged malfeasance without granting them a fair hearing. According to the 2024 Auditor-General’s report, the GRA failed to provide relevant evidence to justify its actions, leading the court to rule against the Authority and impose the judgment debt.

Appearing before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament, Mr Anthony Kwasi Sarpong, the Commissioner-General of the GRA, admitted that the Authority was struggling to implement the Auditor-General’s recommendations, as it could not identify the officers responsible for the infraction. He explained that the recommendation was to charge the specific officers involved, but circumstances surrounding the events had made it difficult to assign responsibility.

The session, which was attended by the Ministry of Finance, the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department, the GRA, and other agencies, formed part of PAC’s review of infractions captured in the Auditor-General’s report. Mr Thomas Ampem Nyarko, a Deputy Finance Minister, led the team to respond to the queries. Despite the challenge, PAC tasked the GRA to take the necessary steps to recover the debt and implement the Auditor-General’s recommendations.

The PAC’s public hearing, which began on August 19, concluded on August 25 at Parliament House in Accra. Chairperson Madam Abena Osei Asare announced that the Committee would reconvene on September 29 to examine the Auditor-General’s report on Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) for the year ending December 31, 2024.