It is a criminal offence for anybody in Ghana to issue a dud cheque, therefore, persons found culpable of such act must be dealt with according to the law, Ben Okai-Laryea, a former employee of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), now Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), has said.
According to him, if anybody issues a dud cheque, the legal department of the GRA has to come in and institute legal action against that person.
His comments come after the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) asked the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Engineers and Planners, Ibrahim Mahama, to pay some GHS12m to the state by May 8 after it established that former President Mahama’s brother had issued 44 dud cheques to the GRA for the payment of duty on some heavy duty equipment he brought into the country, in addition to other accusations of financial malfeasance.
Speaking on the matter in an interview on Asempa FM on Monday April 24, Mr Okai-Laryea said: “Even I’m hearing the cheques that were issued had no bank accounts with those banks mentioned or the banks to which the cheques. So, if the person has no bank account with those bankers, it means the guy has committed fraud. Period.
“The GRA has a legal department which has to take up the matter because it is criminal to issue dud cheques. It is criminal, therefore, you cannot do that.”
Meanwhile, two companies belonging to Ibrahim Mahama have been asked by the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) to the pay the debt he owes the state within two weeks.
Assistant Commissioner for Communication at the GRA, Robert Mensah, speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show on Monday April 24, said an agreement had been reached that the two companies owned by Mr Mahama – MBG Ltd, a heavy duty equipment dealer, and Holman Brothers – should clear the debts.
According to Mr Mensah, MBG Ltd owed 13.15 million cedis in duties in December 2016 – it was supposed to have paid up by November 2015.
The other company, Holman Brothers, owed, as of December 2015, an amount of 3.71 million Ghana cedis.
Mr Mahama was contracted under the erstwhile NDC government to undertake several projects including the construction of a field to house the Ameri power plant, and some cocoa road projects.
Source: Ghana/ClassFMonline.com
