GRA Blows over GH₵194,000 On Curtains, TV & Others As Cost Of Boardroom Renovation
It appears the rots in the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), under the current Commissioner–General, Ammishaddai Owusu-Amoah, is far from over, as documents intercepted by The Anchor reveal, the Authority has spent a whopping GH₵194,301.12 on just renovation of a Boardroom.
The contract, which was awarded to a company by name, Avaeva Limited, in October last year, was for the purchase and replacement of new television set, table and chairs, blinds, air-conditioner among others for the Boardroom.
But that is not all, as further scrutiny of the documents show, the Authority also awarded a staggering GH₵ 358,363.90 to Bluo Creola Limited, for the “Rehabilitation of Warehouse at Madina Redco” and another GH₵535,826.30 to Jespako Ghana Limited, as “Price Variation-Renovation and Rehabilitation of Custom Office block at Kumasi (LOT 3)”.
These were contained in a leaked memo intercepted by The Anchor from the Commissioner–General’s office, addressed to the Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Finance.
The document, dated October 6, 2021 and titled, “Subject: 67thEntity Tender Committee Meeting Approvals” was signed by the Commissioner–General, Ammishaddai Owusu-Amoah.
Meanwhile, many including staff of GRA have been raising questions, particularly relating to the cost of the boardroom renovation and if there were value for money?
This paper’s independent enquiry reveals, the amount spent was outrageous as per the unit cost of the items, a GH₵194,301 could not have been spent on only refurbishment of a single boardroom office.
Procurement experts who spoke on the issue told this reporter that at worst, the overall cost for the renovation and decoration should not cost more than GH₵90,000.
The memo continued “The Entity Committee (ETC) at its 67th meeting held on October 05, 2021 reviewed the following evaluation reports. The reports recommended the under listed firms”.
| No. | Name of firm | Description | Contract Price
(GHC) |
Action Taken |
| 1. | Avaeva Limited | Renovation of GRA Board Room | 194,301.12 | Approved by ETC |
| 2. | B5 Company Limited | Supply and Installation of One (1) Generator Set 45KVA | 199,680.00 | Approved by ETC |
| 3. | IT Market Limited | Installation of 500KVA Transformer for GRA Data Center Accra | 197,066.30 | Approved by ETC |
| 4. | Bluo Creola Limited | Rehabilitation of Warehouse at Madina Redco | 358,363.90 | Approved by ETC |
| 5. | Jespako Ghana Limited | Price variation-Renovation and Rehabilitation of Custom Office block at Kumasi (LOT 3) | 535,826.3 | Approved by ETC |
The memo indicated that, “Based on the information provided, the Committee has granted concurrent approval and you may proceed accordingly”.
When The Anchor contacted the Communication and Public Affairs Officer at GRA, Mrs Florence Asante for her reaction and scope of the contract, she said she did not readily have the details.
However, she promised to contact the Estate Department of the Authority and make them available subsequently.
Meanwhile anti-corruption group, Movement for Truth and Accountability (MFTA) has vowed to expose certain rots at GRA until all loopholes are sealed to protect the public purse.
Mr. Joseph Bediako, the Convener of the group told The Anchor they will not relent on their crusade against alleged questionable deals being perpetrated at the Authority under the current management, until those involved are kicked out.
The name of Ms. Julie Essiam, one of the Commissioners responsible for Support Services Division, has also been mentioned in certain deals and in the coming days, would be put out.
But Mr. Kwadwo Damoah (Rtd), Commissioner in-charge of Customs Division, has been exonerated by the workers, describing him as an honest public servant.
More To Come…
Source: theanchorghana
