Posted
on: www.dailyguideghana.com
By
William Yaw Owusu
Monday,
May 08, 2017
Beleaguered Ibrahim Mahama, brother of former President John
Dramani Mahama, has reportedly settled the GH¢12.5 million he owed the state.
The businessman is said to have paid the huge amount of
money to the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) in the form
of bankers’ drafts, which were issued in the names of MBG Ltd and Holman
Brothers respectively – companies of which he is the Chief Executive Officer
(CEO).
Customs Division of the GRA has not publicly commented on
the issue, but DAILY GUIDE has seen two Stanbic Bank drafts purportedly issued
by Ibrahim to clear his debt, which remained outstanding until the Economic and
Organised Crime Office (EOCO) stepped in to investigate the issues.
Transaction
Details
It is not clear who leaked the two Stanbic Bank drafts to the
social media platforms, but the transaction details showed they were both
issued on May 4, 2017 at the Tema Industrial Area Branch.
On the first draft, it reads, “Pay Ghana Revenue Authority
or order Ten Million, Two Hundred and Sixteen Thousand, Two Hundred and
Fifty-Eight cedis, Forty-Seven Pesewas only (10,216,258.47) B/O MGB Limited,”
while the other draft reads, “Pay Ghana Revenue Authority or order Two Million,
One Hundred and Seventy Thousand, Five Hundred and Forty-Four Ghana Cedis
Sixty-One Pesewas only (2,176,544.61) B/O Holman Brothers Gh. Ltd.”
EOCO
Swoop
Ibrahim, who is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of
Engineers & Planners (E&P), had been given a two-week ultimatum by EOCO
to pay all the debt or face sanctions. Many observers have concluded that he
was never going to pay the huge debt if his brother had remained president.
Last month the businessman was put at the centre of a
headline-grabbing import scandal when the anti-graft investigative body invited
him for questioning.
He was invited for purportedly issuing post-dated cheques
totaling 46 in 2015 to the Customs Division, being duties for import of
equipment, but which turned out to be dud or bounced cheques, according to
EOCO.
Even though the cheques were dishonoured, it is believed
that he succeeded in clearing the goods because of his powerful connection to
the seat of power then.
Curious minds had said that if the New Patriotic Party (NPP)
had not won last year’s elections, the money involved would not have been paid
since it dates back two years ago and GRA was not in a hurry to collect it
because his brother was the president.
Customs
Procedures
It has been said that only the Commander Customs Division,
an Assistant Commissioner, can authorize the release of goods at the point of
entry – the Port of Tema – in the case under review based on approved
conditions.
Customs officials, by their operations, are said not to
handle cash and the importer is mandated to pay through the two approved banks,
ECOBANK and the GCB Bank.
In the case where a company or an individual wants to make
payments through cheques, they must hold accounts with the two banks – ECOBANK
or the GCB Bank – so that a quick verification of the status of the accounts
can be ascertained and a decision taken.
Duty on goods must have been paid to trigger the paper
processing by Customs officers or specifically, the Compliance Officer, before
the goods are released.
EOCO Invitation
In the ensuing confusion, EOCO invited Customs to explain
why they appeared to have breached their standards in favour of Ibrahim, but an
Assistant Commissioner for Communication of GRA, Robert Mensah, later said the ex-president’s
brother had a settlement arrangement with the Customs since December 2016, but
failed to honour that pact from February 2017.
He said the GRA got alarmed when the cheques were taken to
the banks only to be told that the “accounts were closed.”
“An agreement was made to pay GH¢800,000 per month… payment
made so far falls short of that commitment. Within the next two weeks the two
companies should make good all the indebtedness of GH¢10,409,492.86 million,”
he added.
SSNIT
Pressure
Just last week, the Social
Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) dragged Ibrahim and
other managers of E&P to court for the non-payment of their workers’
pension contributions.
A demand
notice prepared by SSNIT to Ibrahim and the others on March 1, 2017 showed that
the total contribution due E&P was GH¢1,601,051.78, with a penalty of
GH¢1,322,161.45 and the notice had also put the total indebtedness to
GH¢2,723,213.32, with GH¢200,000.00 as less payment.
Ibrahim later
announced that the company had settled in full the outstanding amount owed
SSNIT.
Court Summons
DAILY
GUIDE
learnt that upon summons to appear in court on Saturday, April 29, Ibrahim quickly
rushed to the Kokomlemle Office of SSNIT on Friday to settle the debt which had
been hanging for several months before the court case.
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