Mohammed Lamin, Managing Director of Venus Oil Company Limited, has been sentenced to one month in prison for failing to pay taxes and levies amounting to GH¢10,694,051.86.
The judgement was delivered on Monday by Justice Comfort Kwasiwor Tasiame at the Accra High Court’s Criminal Division, after a full three-year trial.
Mohammed Lamin was found guilty of violating Section 80 of the Revenue Administration Act, 2016 (Act 915), for his failure to remit various taxes and levies to the state.
The charges stemmed from unpaid Special Petroleum Tax, Energy Debt Recovery Levy, Road Fund Levy and Energy Fund Levy on petroleum products lifted by Venus Oil Company Limited, a leading distributor and retailer of petroleum products in the Greater Accra Region.
The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), which brought the complaint against Lamin and his company, conducted a review of Venus Oil’s tax records.
This review revealed that the company had defaulted on its tax obligations, with the unpaid taxes dating back to September 2021.
Demand notices were issued to Lamin and Venus Oil Company to prompt settlement of the outstanding debts, but these went unheeded, leading the GRA to initiate legal proceedings.
Joseph B. A. E. Counsel for the Authority, after the judgement, told the media that he is satisfied with the decision of the court.
