Appointing Kwame Owusu as GRA Board chair is poor judgement - CDD

The Centre for Democratic Development (CDD) says the appointment of Mr Kwame Owusu as Board Chairman of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) was based on "poor judgement".

Mr Owusu, a former Managing Director of the Ghana Maritime Authority (GMA) was recently named as the Board Chairman of the GRA and there has been some public disagreement with the appointment.

This is because, some think that there has not been a conclusion to a pending case of investigations into allegations of abuse of office and conflict of interest whilst he was Managing Director of the Ghana Maritime Authority (GMA).

Adding its voice to the debate, the CDD through its Director for Advocacy and Policy Engagement, Dr Kwadwo Asante said the appointment of Kwame Owusu defeats government's purpose of fighting corruption.

"We hear that the person [Kwame Owusu] has been rewarded with the chairmanship of an even more serious institution, which is the Ghana Revenue Authority," he said whilst speaking in a radio interview with Accra based Citi FM Tuesday morning. 

He added: "This is a government that is trying to raise revenue, now the last person you want to put in charge of a revenue authority is a person who is alleged to be wasting public resources, how do you persuade citizens who pay their taxes with that kind of symbolism."

"So I think it's just a very poor judgement, whoever nominated this person..., I really think that decision should be rescinded, because it really sends a bad message to all of us about the anti-corruption fight," Dr Asante said.

Read also: Remove Kwame Owusu as GRA Board Chair or publish... - GII to Akufo-Addo