Georgetown : The Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) responding today to an article published in the September 25, 2012 edition of the Kaieteur News captioned “Three GRA Enforcement officials interdicted” in which the newspaper reported on information the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) dispersed to the media via a Press Release the previous day following conclusion of preliminary investigations into bribery allegations made by a business person.
The GRA now claims the company’s Press Release on September 24 was clear in noting that “The Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) has suspended three officers for their alleged demanding of money from a taxpayer from whom they seized an ATV that was later discovered to have been subject to the fraudulent granting of partial remission of the taxes”.
At no point in GRA’s Press Release was it stated that the suspended officers (who were sent home to pave the way for GRA to conduct a more thorough inquiry into the matter) had been ‘identified by a business woman’, to whom the Newspaper keeps referring. In actuality, the officers were sent home following allegations that they demanded a bribe from a taxpayer from whom they seized the equipment. Following investigations, it was unearthed that the ATV was one of many granted to another person through fraudulent means. Additionally, it was later learnt that the person to whom the newspaper keeps referring had sold the taxpayer the ATV. This is another fraudulent act since duty free equipment are not to be sold but are to be used by the person (s) to whom they are granted.
GRA claims the media house seems to be biased against the entity, specifically in this case and is using the GRA’s Press Releases to coyly provide support to a report submitted by a person caught in a ‘web’ of forgery and fraud.
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