Martin Amidu to prosecute Mahama Ayariga for Duty and Tax Evasion

The Special Prosecutor, Martin Amidu is set to prosecute MP for Bawku Central, Mahama Ayariga for evading customs duties and taxes contrary to section 121(2) of the Customs Act, 2015 (ACT 891).

According to the bill of indictment sighted by Prime News Ghana, “Mahama Ayariga aged 44 years in November 2017 at Tema in the Greater Accra Region did fraudulently evade customs duties and taxes by paying GH¢6,062.86 instead of the approved duties and taxes of GH¢36,597.15 to clear three Toyota V8 Land Cruisers.”

Mahama Ayariga is also accused of allegedly abusing his office as a public officer for his private benefit by “selling three Toyota V8 Land Cruisers with registration numbers GR 2220-18, GR 2221-18 and GR 2222-18 meant to be used for his official duties as a Member of Parliament to Kendrick Akwasi Marfo of ATLAS-Rent-A-Car at a price of GH¢40,000 each.”

The Bawku Central MP is also among other things being accused by the Special Prosecutor of transferring “foreign exchange from Ghana through an unauthorised dealer contrary to sections 15(3) and 29(1) of the Foreign Exchange Act 2006, Act 723.”

Mahama Ayariga is jointly charged with one Kendrick Akwasi Marfo of ATLAS-Rent-A-Car company.

Mahama Ayariga begging me not to investigate him

The Special Prosecutor, Martin Amidu in August 2018 reported the Member of Parliament for Bawku Central Constituency, Mahama Ayariga to the Economic and Organized Crime Organization (EOCO) for attempting to block his investigations on him.

Mr. Amidu in a statement sighted indicated that Mahama Ayariga had sent personal friends, former colleagues, chiefs, pastors among others, to beg him [Amidu] to stop the investigations against him [Ayariga].

Martin Amidu, who said he was investigating Ayariga on suspicion of commission of corruption and abusing his office by importing three Toyota Land Cruiser V8s into the country, added that Mr Ayariga refused to honour an invitation by EOCO over the matter.

According to Martin Amidu, a letter he wrote to the speaker of Parliament and copied to Mahama Ayariga himself to request that the latter’s presence only got him [Ayariga] to find some influential persons to come and beg him to back down on the probe.

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