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Press Release
Kwaku Kwarteng
(MP, Obuasi West Constituency)
OPEN LETTER TO MINISTER FOR COMMUNICATIONS
MINISTRIES
ACCRA
Dear Sir,
CRIMINAL DOUBLE PAYMENTS
FOR MONITORING OF INTERNATIONAL TELEPHONE TRAFFIC
I refer to the statutory policy of government to monitor
incoming international telephone traffic for the purpose of
revenue assurance.
Communications Service Tax (Amendment) Act of 2013 states
that:
“The Minister [for Finance] in collaboration with the
Minister responsible for communications shall ensure that a
common platform is used for the purpose of monitoring
revenues under this Act as well as revenues accruing from
levies under the Electronic Communications (Amendment) Act
2009, (Act 786)”
For the avoidance of doubt, the levies under the Electronic
Communications (Amendment) Act 2009 being referred to are
the levies on incoming international telephone traffic.
In accordance with this law, government, of which you
(Minister for Communications) are a cabinet member, has
signed a contract with a private company, Subah Info
Solutions to monitor both the communications service tax and
the levies on incoming international telephone traffic.
Parliament has been informed that the contract ends in May
2016. On the basis of this contract, government, through the
Ghana Revenue Authority, is paying money to Subah Info
Solutions.
In spite of this, you have (through the National
Communications Authority) directed network providers to
allow another private company, Afriwave Telecom Ltd, access
to their facilities for Afriwave to do the same monitoring
that Subah Info Solutions is already doing. Right now, both
Subah and Afriwave have their devices inserted into the
billing nodes of network providers, with Afriwave claiming
they have also been authorised to do the same revenue
monitoring.
It is obvious that the motive for this wasteful duplication
is for Afriwave, a company
in which you are suspected to have personal interest, to
receive already scarce public funds. And this is coming at a
time when national finances are in considerable distress.
I wish to prompt you that this wasteful and deliberate
duplication is criminal. Indeed, any officer of the Ministry
of Communications or National Communications Authority or
any government official whose action or inaction enables
such duplication of
payment is criminally causing financial loss to the state.
I urge you and the National Communications Authority to
withdraw your directive
to network providers regarding Afriwave for your own sake
and for the sake of the public purse.
Kwaku Kwarteng
(MP, Obuasi West Constituency)
Republic of Ghana
Parliament House, Accra, Ghana. +233 244 838 735 or +233 204
838 735
kwaku@kwarteng.com
CC: (i) The President of Ghana, Accra
(ii) The Minister for Finance, Accra
(iii) Attorney General, Accra
(iv) Director General, National Communications Authority,
Accra
(v) Afriwave Telecoms Ghana Ltd, Accra
(vi) Subah Info Solutions Ltd, Accra
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