The Gambia Revenue Authority (GRA) has temporarily closed GACH Global and Pavi Fort-AI Associates amid mounting concerns over tax compliance, The Standard has been reliably informed.
Section 215 of the GRA Act empowers the commissioner general to close down part or the whole of a taxpayer’s business for a temporary period not exceeding 14 days unless the taxpayer pays the tax due within a period of seven days of the date of the notice.
According to the law, the commissioner general shall affix, in a conspicuous place on the front of the premises of the business or part of the business closed under a subsection (2)order, a notice in the following words “WARNING: CLOSED TEMPORARILY UNDER SECTION 215 OF THE INCOME AND VALUE ADDED TAX ACT FOR NOT PAYING TAX”.
The Standard visited both premises and confirmed the notice have been pasted on the offices of both companies located in Banjulinding and Brufut respectively.
When contacted for comments, a senior member of the GRA management confirmed the temporary closure but declined to give details on how much the affected companies owed saying the law gives taxpayers right to privacy.
“The amount can only be disclosed if the matter reaches the court. But that said, this bold move underscores GRA’s renewed commitment to enforcing fiscal accountability on major players in the country’s economy.”
Pavi Fort-AI Associates
In September 2021, Pavi Fort-Al Associates (SL) Ltd Road Construction Company, registered in Sierra Leone, was one of two sub-regional road construction companies awarded a US$50 million urban 50km roads contract in The Gambia.
The project which is funded by the Organisation for Islamic Cooperation (OIC) was to be completed and delivered in fourteen months.
GACH
GACH Global, spearheaded by Gambian businessman Abubakary Jawara, emerged prominently after the 2016 political transition, securing lucrative mining contracts previously held by entities linked to former president Yahya Jammeh. Despite exporting over 599 containers of minerals since 2017, the company lacked a GRA tax file until at least 2020.
Sources confirmed GRA sealed premises of the affected companies on Monday, halting operations. The shut down signals GRA’s aggressive pivot under current leadership.
