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Court throws out Bishop Obinim …Orders him to pay GH¢1.6bn to the state

An Accra high court has dismissed an application in which Bishop Daniel Obinim, the Head Pastor of International Godsway Church is challenging the decision of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) requiring  him  to settle a tax liability of GH¢1,591,797.50 to the state.

Pastor Obinim, the applicant wanted the court to declare that the issuance and service on him to clear his tax liability is null and void.

In his application to invoke the judicial review jurisdiction of the High Court, the international pastor denied any tax obligation by virtue of the fact that he had fully paid all his tax liabilities.

The head pastor subsequently initiated the action pursuant to Section 42 of the Revenue Administration Act, 2016, Act 915 and joined the GRA and Ecobank Ghana Limited, a third party debtor as respondents.

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But in its judgement delivered on May 13, 2020, Justice Doreen G. Boakye-Agyei, presiding, held that the GRA followed procedure in determining and notifying the applicant of his tax liability.

She said the applicant, not having followed the laid-down procedure to make his objections to be given a hearing as required by law, in the considered opinion of “this court is just setting up his own wilful failure and default as grounds for seeking judicial review”.

Justice Boakye-Agyei stated that the applicant, having admitted that he was served with notice of his tax liability should have followed the prescribed rules to have his grievances addressed.

“He cannot use his failure as a ground to seek judicial review. This instant case is not a proper and appropriate case for the court to exercise its powers of judicial review,” Justice Boakye-Agyei stated.

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On November 15, 2018, the GRA served the applicant with a Notice  of Tax Due requiring him to settle a tax liability of GH¢1,591,797.50 and followed with a final demand notice on June 17, 2019 requiring him to settle his tax  obligation by June 28, 2019.

Dissatisfied with the decision of the GRA, the applicant filed a Notice of Tax Objection which was served on GRA on July 30, 2019.

The applicant’s reasons for his objections were inter alia, that he is the Head Pastor of the International Godsway Church, the church fully takes care of his expenses and he does not receive any remuneration from the church.

Pastor Obinim stated that his only source of income is from his shops which he has paid all tax liabilities for.

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On February 13, 2020, the GRA proceeded to issue and serve on Ecobank, a third party Debtor Notice demanding  Ecobank to pay GH¢1,591,797.50 deemed to be the applicant’s tax liability.

The applicant submitted that until and unless a decision is made and served on him personally, the GRA is estopped under the law to proceed to enforcement as far as the recoveries of the purported sum is concerned.

Pastor  Obinim argued that the decision of the GRA to issue a third party Debtor Notice against the applicant was arbitrary, capricious and lawless and that justice would be best served if the applicant is given a fair hearing as far as the Notice of Objection dated July 29, 2019 is concerned.

BY MALIK SULLEMANA

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NHIA set to boost its cybersecurity and IT Infrastructure

The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), in partnership with a leading private cybersecurity solutions provider in Ghana, CyberHawk Limited, is advancing the Authority’s digital infrastructure to ensure seamless operations.

This is to safeguard the Authority’s digital technologies and maintain the trust of active members of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).

In this context, the NHIA Management Information System (MIS) Directorate in the Head Office, on February 11, 2024, launched a three-day brainstorming session on the organization’s cybersecurity enhancement agenda.

The MIS Directorate Ag. Director, Mr. Daniel Blankson explained that the collaborative meeting aimed to scrutinize the NHIA’s Information Technology architecture, identifying potential risks and gapsto enhance its cybersecurity posture. 

“By leveraging CyberHawk Limited’s expertise, the NHIA seeks to fortify its defenses against cyber threats, protecting sensitive information and maintaining the trust of its members.”

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Mr. Blankson applauded the synergy between the two organizations and underscored the Authority’s commitment to embracing cutting-edge technologies and innovative solutions to drive its mission forward.

The Head of Information Security and Standards Unit, in the MIS Directorate, Mr. Ebenezer Hooper, highlighted the Authority’s significant milestone on the digital transformation journey.

According to him, the NHIA is actively engaged in fully adopting and implementing modern digital systems to improve its operations.

He said, “The three-day brainstorming meeting will culminate in the development of a robust IT infrastructure, as well as strategic plans to translate security implementations into tangible IT cost savings for the organization.”

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“There is the need to form a steering committee or IT advisory committee, operated under the Board, so that they can pay more attention in protecting the huge IT investment while ensuring cyber security-related policies are well protected,” he added.

The Project Manager of CyberHawk Limited, Mr. Chetan Narayana Murthy, lauded the collaboration and anticipated that it would empower the NHIA to implement comprehensive cybersecurity measures.

According to him, “This is a huge project that will greatly benefit the NHIA by implementing robust cybersecurity measures, safeguarding their systems, and ultimately protecting the sensitive information of NHIA members and healthcare providers.”

A Senior Manager of IT infrastructure, Mr. David Asare Addo, and his colleague, a Senior Manager of Applications, Mr. Enock Afanyi, with the MIS Directorate, gave an overview of the NHIA’s current technological landscape.

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Present at the meeting were representatives from the Claims, Membership and Regional Operations (MRO), Research, Policy, Monitoring, and Evaluation (RPME), Corporate Affairs, the Audit, Administration, and Human Resource Directorates.

Story By : Vivian Arthur

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Swedru All Blacks back to winning ways, Roshan humble King Faisal

Sekondi Rospak FC made it eight wins in eight successive home games after three second-half goals from John Amoah, Joseph Ntow and Stephen Anthony Kofi. John Amoah opened the scoring in the 55th minute after a barren first half. Joseph Ntow added to the tally in the 56th minute before Stephen Anthony Kofi rounded things up in the 74th minute to give Rospak a 3-0 win over former Premier League side King Faisal.


Elsewhere at Swedru – leaders Swedru All Blacks humbled PAC Academy in an emphatic 2-0 win. Zayat Bubakari scored first for Swedru All Blacks in the 27th minute before Rudolf Junior Nana Kwasi Mensah made it 2-0 in the 34th minute. Swedru All Blacks are top of the table with 36 points – 4 points ahead of second placed Rospak FC.

Meanwhile, Former Premier League side Cape Coast Mysterious Dwarfs recorded their fourth successive home victory after beaten New Edubiase United 2-1 at the Robert Mensah Park. Enoch Odoom struck first for Cape Coast Mysterious Dwarfs in the 19th minute but Steven Asante equalized for New Edubiase United before halftime. After the interval, Godfred Eshun scored from distance in the 65th minute to help Cape Coast Mysterious Dwarfs secure all the points.

Here are the results in Zone Two

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