GRA rejects Ibrahim Mahama’s 46 dud cheques

• Posted on April 27, 2017
• by Nana Kwesi Coomson
• Comment

THE GHANA Revenue Authority (GRA) says it rejected all the 46 post-dated cheques presented by Ibrahim Mahama’s two companies – MBG Ltd and Holman Brothers Ghana Ltd – because the accounts on which the cheques were issued were inactive.

According to the GRA, after the first batch of the cheques presented by Ibrahim – brother of former President John Dramani Mahama – were dishonoured, it had no business presenting the rest and therefore returned them to the sender.

It said MBG Ltd and Holman Brothers Ghana Ltd each issued 23 separate cheques to cover re-scheduled duties payment to be drawn monthly over a 12-month period.

However, all of those could not be drawn because of inactive accounts.

According to the GRA, it had meetings with the two entities to discuss payment terms after the failure.

“GRA agreed to a rescheduling arrangement with the two entities by which MBG Ltd. would pay GH¢800,000 monthly, while Holman Brothers Ghana Ltd. was to pay GH¢192,000 monthly up to December 2016 to cover the entire amount, which included 25 percent interest rate and 25 percent penalty.

“As at now the two companies have settled GH¢4,544,594.47 and GH¢1,985,547.71 in favour of MBG Ltd. and Holman Brothers (Gh) Ltd respectively, leaving outstanding balances inclusive of interest and penalties of GH¢10,216,258.87 and GH¢2,178,544.61 – totaling GH¢12,394,803.08.

“They have, however, not fully honoured the first two months installment payment,” a statement issued by the revenue agency explained.

Notice Served

In view of this explanation, the GRA said it has served notice to the two companies to pay all the total outstanding debt of GH¢12,394,803.08 within two weeks, beginning yesterday, April 26, 2017.

This decision, it added, was arrived at after the two companies belonging to Ibrahim Mahama had breached the terms of the rescheduling arrangement between them and the GRA.

According to the Authority, it would initiate all necessary controls, including detention, seizure and finally public auction of the goods after the statutory period to defray the loss of revenue.

Brief Records

The Authority said in December 2015, MBG Ltd had a tax liability of GH¢13,150,761.20 to GRA as duties payable on vehicles and equipment that had been imported into the country.

It explained that Holman Brothers Ghana Ltd, also, in December 2015, had a tax liability of GH¢3,788,873.84 payable to GRA as duties on vehicles and equipment that had been imported, but all the two companies failed their tax obligations to the state, leading to the unpaid duties of over GH¢12million.

Ibrahim was subsequently probed by the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) which gave him two weeks to offset the tax liabilities.

He is claiming that the government owes him from a sole-sourced contract awarded to him by his brother’s government.

By Samuel Boadi