The Office of the President has declined the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) request for the full publication of KPMG‘s report on the revenue assurance contract between the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) and Strategic Mobilisation Limited (SML).
MFWA in a request on April 24 signed by its Executive Director, Sulemana Braimah invoked section 18 of the Right to Information Act, 2019 (Act 989) (“RTI Act”).
The request was specifically for “a copy of the full KPMG Audit Report on the revenue assurance contract as commissioned by President Akufo-Addo.
However, a statement signed by the Chief Director for the Chief of Staff, H.M Wood on May 7, 2024, said the request cannot be granted.
“Upon careful consideration and in accordance with section 5 (1) (a) and (b) (i) of the RTI Act, I regret to inform you that your request has been refused.
“Section 5 (1) (a) and (b) (i) states that information prepared for or submitted to the President or Vice President containing opinions, advice, deliberations, recommendations, minutes, or consultations, is exempt from disclosure and that disclosure of such information would compromise the integrity of the deliberative process by revealing the thought process, considerations, and influence on decision-making reserved for the highest offices of the land,” the statement read in parts.
The statement explained that, the full KPMG Audit Report contains opinions, advice, deliberations, and recommendations that are crucial to the President’s deliberative process and hence qualify as exempt information under section 5 (1) (a) and (b) (i).
“Understanding the public interest in the GRA-SML contract, the President has published the principal findings and recommendations of the KPMG report in a detailed press statement issued by the Office of the President on 24th April 2024.
Thus, the public remains informed while respecting the statutory restrictions on specific disclosures,” it added.
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Below is the statement:
