The Commissioner General of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), Rev. Dr. Ammishaddai Owusu-Amoah, has refuted reports he and his entire nuclear family have absconded from Ghana over the $100 million Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Limited (SML) corruption scandal.
He also threw cold water on allegations he has abandoned his position at GRA.
Dr. Owusu-Amoah told Joy Business intimated that he and his family went on a short holiday abroad but he is back in Ghana going about his duties as Commissioner-General of the GRA.
“As you can see I have not abandoned my position because of the SML deal”, he told Joy Business during an inspection tour of some GRA offices in the Greater Accra Region.
Background
Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, alleged on Wednesday, January 10, that the Commissioner-General of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), Rev. Dr. Ammishaddai Adu Owusu-Amoah who signed the controversial agreement between the GRA and the Strategic Mobilisation Limited (SML) has departed from the country with his family.
According to Ablakwa, the Commissioner-General of GRA left Ghana with the help of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and the Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia.
“President Akufo-Addo must immediately offer a sincere explanation to Ghanaians on the circumstances under which the Commissioner-General of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), Rev. Dr. Ammishaddai Adu Owusu-Amoah who signed the dubious SML contract was allowed to travel out of the country with his entire nuclear family less than 24 hours after Akufo-Addo’s 2nd January, 2024 press statement announcing that KPMG has been tasked to carry out an urgent audit into the sleazy affair.
“My unimpeachable and irrefutable tracking of Rev. Dr. Ammishaddai Adu Owusu-Amoah reveals that on January 3, 2024, he led his family to swiftly and clandestinely leave the jurisdiction. Exactly a week ago, the entire Owusu-Amoah family departed at 17:10 on TAP Air Portugal, flight TP 1527 from KIA-Terminal 3. Rev. Dr. Ammishaddai Adu Owusu-Amoah used an ordinary Ghanaian passport issued on June 14, 2019, with its last four digits being 5283.
“Interestingly, the runaway GRA boss did not travel with his Service Passport with 2702 as its last four digits. A Service Passport which was issued to him as GRA Commissioner-General on October 3, 2019. This development adds another layer of confirmation that Rev. Dr. Owusu-Amoah has not embarked on an official trip,” the opposition lawmaker wrote on his X platform.
“Now here we are, the GRA boss who is to be audited has been surreptitiously assisted to leave the country. It is also worth noting that KPMG has only about 6 days left to report to the President,” Mr, Ablakwa noted.
