The Chief Executive Officer of K. Ofori Enterprise, Frank Kwadwo Ofori, and three other officials of United Steel Company, namely Hani Mikati, Marwam Hamwi, and Sallam Mohammed Gharib are currently facing the law for evading tax to the tune of GH¢1.6 billion.
The four pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit a crime namely fraudulent evasion of tax when they appeared before an Accra Circuit Court.
The trial judge, Mrs. Afua Owusua Appiah, admitted them to bail in the sum of GH¢1 million each with three sureties to be justified.
The accused are to reappear before the court on June 8, 2021
Led by the prosecution, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Sylvester Asare, presenting the facts of the case said during the year 2021, security agencies picked information regarding what they said were unlawful activities of the accused persons including fraudulent evasion of tax and money laundering.
She said further intelligence revealed that the members and or officers of United Steel Company (USC) developed a scheme apparently to evade taxes and reportedly disguised the proceeds in Ghana and abroad.
It said pursuant to the preceding scheme and to facilitate the unlawful activities, Ofori incorporated a company by name Kwadwo Boakye Enterprise (KBE), and same was made a nominee of and agent for USC.
Consequently, Prosecution said surveillance was mounted on the activities of the accused persons, and on April 29, this year, they were picked up.
During a search at the offices of USC and the residence of Mikati, about 15 signed cheque books without face value from five separate banks in the name of KBE were found.
Preliminary investigation, the prosecution said, had established that the accused persons through their reported unlawful activities had fraudulently evaded taxes to the tune of GH¢1.6 billion between the period of 2013 to April 2021 and they had concealed and disguised the proceeds into investments in Ghana and abroad.
