Ibrahim Mahama committed no crime by 'arranging' to pay taxes - Loh

A former Member of Parliament for North Dayi has jumped to the defence of the business magnate and brother of the former president who is being investigated for issuing dud cheques to the Ghana Revenue Authority.

George Loh said there is nothing criminal about arranging with tax officials a time table on how to pay the taxed owed for a business transacted.

"Ibrahim Mahama is not the only person with tax arrangement with the Authorities," Loh stated on Joy FM's news analysis programme Newsfile, Saturday.

He was contributing to the raging controversy over the Economic and Organised Crime Office arrest and subsequent bail granted Ibrahim Mahama, CEO of Engineers and Planners.

Reports suggest, the business man had issued 44 dud cheques to the revenue authority for some equipment he imported into the country over a year ago.
He was alleged to have been interrogated for over eight hours when he was picked by the EOCO this week and was later granted bail.

The EOCO has since ordered him to pay back a total of ?12.7 million by or on the 8th of May 2017, Myjoyonline.com is learning.

New Patriotic Party Member of Parliament for Assin Central Kennedy Agyepong has been leading the crusade for the arrest and prosecution of the
president's brother.

He does not understand why Ibrahim Mahama will be left walking after issuing these dud cheques.

However, the business man has received support from members of the NDC some of whom were said to have massed up at the offices of the EOCO to protest the arrest of Mr Mahama.

Discussing the matter on Newsfile, George Loh said rather than accusing Ibrahim Mahama of doing something illegal, the tax authorities must be held responsible.

He said if the tax authorities are comfortable with the arrangement reached with the business man and the interest he will pay on account of his delay, that should end the matter.
Loh accused EOCO of unnecessarily intimidating he CEO of Engineers and Planners

He did not understand why Kennedy Agyepong will be mounting a crusade for the arrest and prosecution of Ibrahim Mahama chiding the NPP MP as being ignorant in how the tax cases are dealt with at the GRA.

But lawyer and Vice President of IMANI Ghana, a policy think tank says the actions of the president's brother is criminal.

Mr Bentil explained Ibrahim Mahama breached the Bills of Exchange Act 1961 (Act 55) that says anyone who writes a cheque that is not honoured commits an offense.

“If you write a cheque it is a liquidated sum that is a prima facie case against you," he added.

He also accused the president's brother of taking advantage of situation and called for the prosecution of officials at VRA who sat down in the face of clear breaches of the law.

"The 44 cheques is a trend; the amount involved is colossal," he stated.

Source: Myjoyonline.com