Govment ban land transit of commercial quantities of cooking oil thru di kontris borders afta dis
Di Ghana revenue authority (GRA) don ask five officers of dia customs division to step aside wit immediate effect as dem begin investigation into case of diversion of goods for di port.
Inside one statement, dem tok say dia “initial finding from one operation dem do on 18 February wey involve transit cargo wey dem declare say e dey go Niger.”
“Di operation bin find say documentation for di consignment no dey match wey e neva follow transit procedure,” di GRA tok.
Di revenue authority add say dia initial finding also show “potential breach wey dey demand further independent and comprehensive investigation to determine di facts and di individual involvement” for dis case.
Dem add say di investigators go summon oda officers for di customs division to answer questions wey dem go “take action and apply di law” if dem find say pipo dey guilty.
Govment vex about di ‘rot’ wey dey happun for di ports
Di latest tori dey come days afta finance ministry intercept plenty trucks wey dem suspect say dem dey part of “transit diversion and revenue evasion scheme” along di kontris borders.
Di operation show say dem move some of di trucks without “di required customs human escort — wey be tin wey for happun for transit cargo.”
Deputy finance minister Thomas Nyarko Ampem say di President don demand immediate briefing afta di inspection team return from di border.
Di minister tok local radio network Citi FM say “afta we come back from di border, di president bin dey wait for us for feedback from dis operation. He vex well well.”
“Anybody wey dey involved for dis case go face di law – we no go spare anybody.”
E confam say some customs officers go dey guilty say dia hand dey inside dis fraud scheme but odas also bin dey critical to catch dis shady scheme and activities.
Dis development don raise concern about tins like internal collaboration, weak border systems among odas – wey dey cause revenue leakage for di kontri of more than $8m.
Govment don already ban land transit of commercial quantities of cooking oil thru di kontris borders afta dis operation.
One directive from di govment tok say all such consignment gatz to go thru di seaports.
Under di new directive, cooking oil consignment wey don dey enta Ghana for transit to oda kontris, no go pass thru di land borders.
“Dis na to ensure strict valuation systems, electronic tracking, scanning and oda customs checks,” one statement from di minister of finance explain.
Di minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, oda GRA officials and national security for one operation intercept 12 trucks wey bin dey carry food items wey be major revenue leakage.
Di trucks bin dey transport ova 44,000 packages of cooking oil, spaghetti and tomato paste.
Special prosecutor office chook mouth for dis mata
Inside one statement di office of di special prosecutor confam say dem dey investigate di case.
“We dey chook mouth for suspected corruption wey involve alleged diversion of 50 twenty-foot containers of palm oil wey dey valued at Ghc 25.8m ($2.4m)
Di prosecutor’s office say “di consignment wey dem declare as transit to Burkina Faso dey unlawfully diverted to di local market without payment of di duties and taxes.”
“Di office don identify di involvement of some customs officers, national security operatives and clearing agents for dis corruption scheme wey result in estimated loss of GHC10.5m ($975k) in taxes to di state.”
Di special prosecutor’s office for dia statement add say “we begin dis investigation afta one intelligence operation wey happun for November 2025.”
President Mahama appoint new customs boss days afta di ‘scandal’
President Mahama inside one letter announce say im appoint new pesin to head di customs division of di Ghana revenue authority.
Dis happun days afta di operation wey gbab di diversion of goods and oda food consignment for di ports.
Di appointment of Aaron Kanor as acting commissioner dey take “immediate effect.”
Inside di GRA statement, dem tok say “di appointment of oga Kanor dey reflect im career wey im show integrity, leadership and operational excellence.”
Bifor dem appoint am for dis role, Aaron Kanor work as officer in charge for port operations.
Im also serve as sector commander for di Accra international airport and Wa collections as well as chief revenue officer for many oda operational areas.
Oga Aaron Kanor dey replace Brigadier General Glover Ashong Annan.
Di operation by GRA, finance ministry and national security intercept 12 trucks wey dey carry cooking products, wey dey cost ova GHC 85m in taxes
“Anybody wey dey involved for dis case go face di law – we no go spare anybody” – Deputy finance minister Ampem Nyarko
Source:
www.ghanaweb.com