Chairman of the Mines and Energy Committee in Parliament, Samuel Atta Akyea says that his outfit will only take a position after probing the KPMG report and parties involved.
Mr Atta Akyea insists that although the committee was interested in the release of the report, they will go according to fact-finding and evidential evaluation before they take any decision.
Speaking on JoyNews’ Newsnite on Thursday, May 23, Mr Akyea said “We are not going to swallow hook-line and sinker whatever Jubilee House is saying, but we will look at it and also do our recommendations for the house to look at it. This is our approach.”
His comment comes after President Akufo-Addo on Wednesday, May 22, released the KPMG audit report on the controversial Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) and Strategic Mobilisation Limited (SML) contract.
The release comes weeks after a section of Ghanaians including civil society organisations insisted that many infractions in the contract demanded that the full report be made public.
The President commissioned KPMG to audit the contract on January 2, 2024, with a deadline initially set for January 16, 2024, but later extended to February 23, 2024.
According to the audit findings, SML received a total of GH¢1,061,054,778.00 from 2018 to date while partially fulfilling its obligations. However, the report also noted that SML’s work had contributed to an increase in revenue in the downstream petroleum sector.
Contrary to the audit report’s claims, SML has disputed receiving GH¢1,061,054,778.00 for its contract with the GRA, arguing that KPMG cited the figure “without reference to the investments made and the taxes paid” during the review period.
Commenting on the consideration of whether KPMG established matters of fact and whether Parliament’s work will duplicate these findings, Mr Akyea stated that Parliament will need to ascertain whether the matters of fact are substantiated by evidence and supported by law.
He explained that the Committee will not function as a mere conveyor belt, automatically accepting KPMG’s findings as truthful.
“We have to look at it because that institution is not above review and corrections so we will look at it.
“What is the evidential support that this is the issue? If it’s crystal clear that the findings are borne out by the evidence, then we don’t have to improve upon it,” he said.
Mr Akyea says the committee will also need to peruse the findings in the KPMG’s audit on there own, stressing that Parliament cannot accept the report as unquestionable merely because it comes from a reputable audit form.
“We will not take that approach at all. We have an open mind regarding the findings of KPMG. In fact, they might have to appear before us and answer some questions for clarification.
“It’s only after we have looked at the whole thing in a comprehensive manner then we take a position whether our findings synchronise with what KPMG has found – then we state our position,” the Energy Committee Chairman said.
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