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The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) requested access to the whole KPMG report on the revenue assurance agreement between Strategic Mobilization Limited (SML) and the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA).
The Office of the President denied this request.
On April 24, 2024, the MFWA made a request for a copy of the full KPMG Audit Report on the GRA-SML revenue assurance contract, which was commissioned by the President, under section 18 of the Right to Information Act, 2019 (Act 989) (“RTI Act”).
However, the presidency, in a statement released on Wednesday, stated that “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 went on to say that the opinions, advice, discussions, and recommendations included in the whole KPMG Audit Report are critical to the President’s deliberative process and, as such, meet the requirements for exempt material 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.
Read the full statement from the presidency below:
Source: Ghanatodayonline.com
