By Lamin Sesay
The Director of Finance at the National Revenue Authority (NRA), Philip Mammie Koroma, has disobeyed and defied an instruction given by a Parliament to write letters to the various banks to assure monies private entities including K-3 Communication among others pay to the government.
According to the deputy Speaker, Hon. Ibrahim Tawa Conteh, the Director of Finance, Mr. Koroma at the said institution did otherwise which is a total disrespect and disregard to the House.
Hon. Conteh emphasised that the order was given in January 2024, but after 18 months now the Director of Finance is informing the committee that the liabilities are no longer liabilities and they have been paid by the various entities involved.
According to the Speaker, State Owned Enterprises (SOE) are supposed to pay thirty-nine million old leones (Le39,000,000) to the government, stressing that is a colossal and huge amount which he vowed he will not let go.
Hon. Tawa further instructed NRA to write the letters to the Sierra Leone Commercial Bank (SLCB) to ensure that the monies are paid.
The Director of the National Revenue Authority NRA, Philip Mammie Koroma, said he believed that there was lack of communication between the parties, disclosing that the said amount is no longer a liability and the amount has been reversed.
Mr. Koroma assured the committee that they declared Le351,000,000, but the deputy speaker frowned at the time which was eighteen (18) months before the amount was no longer a liability.
Hon. Tawa said the NRA Director of Finance presented a cock and bull story without documentary evidence.
The committee’s chairman was more concerned with why it took the Director of Finance, Mr. Koroma so long to realise the amount was not a liability.
He said Mr. Koroma was before the committee on 10th June, 2024, but also failed to inform the committee that the monies were false liabilities.
The monies are with regard to arrears on GST from taxpayers that owed the government of Sierra Leone.
The deputy Speaker said one of the MPs’ names popped up in the list and assured that they are going to work with the Accountant General’s Department to make sure that the said amount is paid.
‘As MPs of Parliament, we have to set that example. It will show that they are ready for accountability,’ he noted.
‘So if we are doing it to MPs, I didn’t expect excuses from the National Revenue Authority (NRA),’ he said.
The resolution was passed and assured that they are doing the necessary follow-up in form of calls and text messages, and that they will be sending letters to them.
The deputy speaker assured that he wants to keep the record of everything and kept track record on the resolution that have passed.
He cited section 54 of the Public Financial Management Act of 2016 as to how they will recover monies from taxpayers.