Martin Kpebu, a private legal practitioner, has advised Ghanaians to allow the Presidency sufficient time to release the KPMG report on its audit of the agreement between the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) and Strategic Mobilisation Limited (SML).
Speaking on TV3's 'The Key Points' program, Mr. Kpebu cautioned against pressuring the Presidency into releasing the report prematurely, emphasizing the importance of allowing sufficient time for those implicated to provide their responses.
While Mr. Kpebu stressed the necessity of making the report public to address the issue conclusively, he underscored the importance of granting individuals mentioned in the report adequate time to respond to the allegations.
“By the practice, I think that we are stampeding him. I'm not in favour of the work going to KPMG, but well it’s too late, we couldn't fight enough, but if you look at the time they got it (the report), I'm hearing 27th March, if you look at audit reports, even the Audit Service, even our Audit Service Act, when they bring audit reports, what they call management letter, and there are issues, you have 30 days to respond.
“So, I don't think that we have a basis to say when KPMG brought the report it should be less than 30 days… People who have been cited in the report should be given time to respond,” he said.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo commissioned KPMG to investigate the GRA-SML contract following an exposé by the Fourth Estate on January 2 of this year.
Confirming the receipt of the audit report on April 3, 2024, Mr. Eugene Arhin, Director of Communications at the Presidency, stated that the President is currently reviewing the findings and will disclose his decisions in due course.
Martin Kpebu