The Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Dominic Ayine, has revealed that investigations into the District Road Improvement Project (DRIP) have uncovered acts of financial misconduct involving the contractors, JA Plant Pool.
Dr. Ayine explained that his office received a preliminary investigation report, which he reviewed and directed investigators to conduct further work on.
He said the final report confirmed irregularities in both payment and tax obligations.
According to him, JA Plant Pool was overpaid by two million dollars.
He noted that although the official contract sum was 176 million dollars, payment records showed that 178 million dollars had been made to the company.
He stated that a formal demand had been issued for the refund of the extra two million dollars.
The Attorney General further disclosed that 190 pieces of equipment imported under the project were cleared without the payment of taxes after being wrongly classified as tax-exempt.
He said investigators, after analysing the Harmonised System (HS) codes used by the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), found that 38.7 million cedis in taxes had been evaded.
Dr. Ayine said the GRA had been asked to take steps to recover the unpaid taxes, since it is the institution legally responsible for enforcing tax laws.
He added that the figure provided by investigators represented their assessment, noting that the GRA might confirm or adjust the amount after its own review.
The Attorney General assured that his office would continue to work closely with the relevant authorities to ensure accountability and the recovery of all public funds lost through the project.
By: Jacob Aggrey
