Eric Adjei, Bono Regional Communications Officer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has submitted a formal request to the Commissioner General of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), seeking information on auction activities conducted by the authority.
Mr Adjei is demanding that the Commissioner General furnish him with auction information covering the period from September 2022 to the present date, encompassing recent auction activities conducted by the GRA.
The specific details requested by Mr. Adjei include particulars and clear descriptions of all auctioned items; quantity of all auctioned items; and prices at which the items were auctioned.
Other details include the date of each auction sale as well as the full names, addresses, and telephone numbers of successful bidders.
In a letter addressed to the Commissioner General, Mr Adjei cited sections 1 and 18 of the Right To Information (RTI) Act, 2019 (ACT 989) as the legal basis for his request.
The petitioner expressed his commitment to abiding by the laws of the country and emphasized the importance of transparency in public auctions.
Mr. Adjei reminded the Commissioner General that the Customs Act, 2015 (Act 891) explicitly mandates the public nature of auction sales.
He asserted that information related to such transactions should not be withheld on any grounds, emphasizing the necessity of openness by the law.
He also urged the GRA to treat the request with urgency, stating that prompt access to this information would enable him to plan his next steps.
He expressed confidence in the customary cooperation of the GRA and thanked the Commissioner General in anticipation of a swift response.
This move by Eric Adjei underlines the growing awareness and exercise of citizens’ rights to access information as enshrined in the RTI Act, reinforcing the principles of transparency and accountability in the public domain.
The GRA is now faced with the responsibility of responding to this request by the legal provisions outlined in the RTI Act.
