President Mahama Sued Over Appointment Of Anthony Sarpong As GRA Commisioner-General

• President John Mahama has been hit with a lawsuit over the appointment of Anthony Sarpong as the action Commssioner-General of GRA
• According to the suit filed by Emanuella Safowaah it was illegal for Mahama to appoint a senior partner at KPMG as GRA boss
• The plaintiff is thus seeking the court to order to the president to revoke the appointment and injunct him from doing so in the future

President John Dramani Mahama has been dragged to court over the appointment of Anthony Kwasi Sarpong as the acting Commissioner-General of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA).

The suit, filed by a private citizen, Emmanuella Sarfowaah, is challenging the legality of the appointment of Anthony Sarpong as GRA boss.

Filed at the High Court, names President Mahama (through Attorney General Dominic Akuritinga Ayine), Anthony Kwasi Sarpong, and the GRA as defendants.

Anthony Sarpong's GRA appointment and controversy

Anthony Sarpong an accomplished accountant and auditor who previously served as a Senior Partner at the auditing and consulting firm KPMG was appointed as acting GRA Commissioner-General on January 21, 2025.

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With over 22 years of professional experience across Ghana, Nigeria, and South Africa, as a specialist in audit, accounting advisory, corporate recovery and insolvency, many thought he was the right man for the job.

But his appointment has been highly protested by some National Democratic Congress (NDC) who deem him as a non-party man. Some went as far as picketing at the GRA headquarters as part of their protests.

Mahama sued over GRA boss appointment

It is amid these protests that plaintiff, Emmanuella Safowaah who is based at Oyarifa in Accra, has filed a suit to cause President Mahama to withdraw Sarpong's appointment.

According to court documents, Sarfowaah argues that Sarpong's continued role as a senior partner at KPMG creates a conflict of interest with his new position at GRA. She further contends that the appointment was procedurally flawed, citing the absence of a Governing Council during the selection process.

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Among other things, the plaintiff is seeking from the court:

"An order revoking the appointment of the 1st Defendant, a former employee of KPMG and/or a person with interest in KPMG or a person who had an interest in KPMG, by the President of the Republic of Ghana as the Acting Commissioner-General of the GRA."

Also, the plaintiff is praying the court to injunct President Mahama from appointing Sarpong as GRA boss.

“A perpetual injunction order against the President of the Republic of Ghana restraining him or any person acting by his authority from appointing the 1st Defendant, a former employee of KPMG and/or a person with an interest in KPMG or a person who had an interest in KPMG, as the Acting and/or the Commissioner-General of the GRA."

See screenshots of the suit below:

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The petition from a resident of the Volta Region also called for the removal of Dr Bossman Eric Asare and Samuel Tetteh.

The petition filed on January 27, 2025, cited a breach of fundamental human rights under Article 42 of the 1992 Constitution.

Source: YEN.com.gh