The Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) has announced the suspension of three officers for allegedly demanding money from a taxpayer from whom they seized an All Terrain Vehicle (ATV).
“Their suspension will pave the way for a full and more thorough inquiry to be conducted, that may lead to their dismissal, and charges being laid against them,” the GRA said in a statement on Monday, while noting that the action against the men came as a result of a preliminary investigation.
It noted that it had been suggested in a Kaieteur News article that officers of GRA’s Law Enforcement and Investigation Division demanded $500,000 or two ounces of gold in order to release an ATV that was found with a false number plate and subject to the granting of a fraudulent remission letter for partial exemption of the taxes.
In a subsequent letter to the press, GRA Commissioner-General Khurshid Sattaur noted that the officers were sent home following allegations that they demanded a bribe from a taxpayer from whom they seized the equipment. Following an investigation, he said it was unearthed that the ATV was one of many granted to another person through fraudulent means before it was sold to the taxpayer.
Sattaur had previously disclosed that the results of the preliminary investigation revealed that the officers were involved in the criminal act, the GRA said, adding that he also urged the public to follow the stipulated guidelines for the granting of tax exemptions and to report suspicions of corrupt practices by GRA officials and members of the public.
Sattaur reiterated that the GRA will not condone corrupt individuals, whether officials or taxpayer and that it will do all within its power to weed it out.
