The National Organiser of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Kofi Adams has asked government to stop treating the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Engineers and Planners, Ibrahim Mahama as a criminal.
According to him, the Economic and Organised Crimes Office’s (EOCO) decision to invite Mr. Ibrahim Mahama and interrogate him on accusations of financial malfeasance amounts to witch-hunting.
“You don’t witch-hunt and present a national, a citizen of this country who has contributed his quota to the well-being of this country as if he is a criminal. Stop treating Ibrahim Mahama as a criminal because he is not” he said on Accra-based Okay FM.
The businessman, who is also the brother of former President John Mahama, is at the centre of a headline-grabbing import scandal which has trended in the media since last week and does not show signs of abating anytime soon – not with the invitation of the Customs Division to answer questions pertaining to its role in the scandal.
Ibrahim Mahama was hauled before the anti-graft agency for purportedly issuing in 2015 post-dated cheques totaling 44 to the Customs Division, being duties for imports of equipment, but which turned out to be dud.
On Friday EOCO ordered Mr. Ibrahim Mahama to pay a sum of GH¢12.7 million for the unpaid duties.
He is to make the payment by Monday, 8th May 2017.
However, Kofi Adams believes former President John Mahama’s brother did not commit any crime when he issued 44 cheques to the GRA that turned out to be dud.
He posited that government’s handling of the issue smacks of an attempt to victimise the businessman because of his link to the past administration.
Meanwhile, GRA has said that it did not ask EOCO to investigate Ibrahim Mahama over some money the brother of former president Mahama owes the organisation.
The GRA assistant commissioner for communications, Robert Mensah, suggested that EOCO’s probe of Ibrahim was unnecessary because the organisation had its own internal mechanism that it is applied to businesses and business owners who default on their tax-related payments.
Mr. Mensah said Ibrahim will have to pay over 10 million cedis within the period or forfeit the items he imported into the country to the state for possible auction.
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