Accra, Nov. 12, - The Ghana
Revenue Authority (GRA) has arrested four persons for diverting goods worth GH₵139,359.89 from a Free Zone Enclave
meant for export to the Paga Duty Free Shop in the Upper East Region.
The goods, made up of 2,000
cartons (12xIL) of Don Garcia Wine and a 1,000 cartons of Simon Sangria Wine,
attracting a duty liability of GH₵88,957.47,
were removed from their warehouse located at the Tema Free Zone Enclave.
The GRA arrested the four on
Friday night upon intelligence that the consignment, released for export to
Paga the previous day, had been diverted and were being discharged at Nungua.
Addressing a news conference on
Monday in Accra, Mr Emmanuel Kofi Nti, the Commissioner General of GRA, named
the four suspects as Samuel Kwame Agbah, a worker of Comet Ghana Limited, Seth
Nyarko, (Magnate Technology), John Tetteh, a driver of a truck with
registration number GT 5160-12, and Daniel Owusu, a mate.
The truck and its contents have
been detained pending re-examination and proper re-assessment.
Mr Nti explained that on November
6, 2018, a licensed Customs House Agents, acting on behalf of Comet Ghana
Limited, a registered Free Zone Operator with no. F003, lodged a declaration
with number 92018485496 in the Ghana Customs Management System to export the
consignment of wine to Paga.
However, the truck that was
mounted with E-Track Device with number 612788 obtained and allegedly fixed by
technicians from Magnate Technology Limited and upon an approval, granted for
the export by Jonathan Aniewu, Officer-in-charge, Free Zone, was noted to have
never reached Paga.
Mr Nti said when his surveillance
team arrived at Nungua where the goods were being discharged, it was detected
that the seal had been opened with its key, and so the Authority was
investigating to discover the person who provided the key to the principal
suspect, Samuel Agbah, who tried to bribe the officials with GH₵2,000.00 with a promise to add some
more subsequently.
He said the suspects, who were
first handed over to the Marine Police for interrogation and detention, would
be put before court soon for prosecution.
He gave the assurance that the
manager of Comet Ghana Limited who is yet to report to the GRA would be located.
He later noted that a detailed
examination of the GCNet system has revealed that from September 1, 2018 to
date, Comet Limited had engaged in 39 exportations and so these exportations
would be subjected to further investigations to determine whether those goods
indeed reached their destinations or not.
Comet happens to be one of the
four registered Free Zones companies operating duty free shops at various
border posts across the country including Osei Kojokrom, Elubo, Aflao, Gonokrom
and Paga.
Duty Free shops do not pay taxes
on their imports.
Commenting further on the impact
of such an activity on revenue mobilisation, Mr Nti said such acts derail
efforts at mobilising revenue since those who divert such Free Zones goods back
to the main market to compete with others that paid taxes on their imports
cheat the system.
He has, therefore, warned such
persons to stop those negative acts, saying
the GRA was determined “to use all legitimate means to achieve the 2018
revenue target and will, therefore, removed all obstacles militating against
this objective”.
He announced that effective
December 1, 2018, all Duty Free shops would have to pay customs duty and taxes
at the time of importation of goods and apply for refund explaining that the
position would help check abuse of the regime.
GNA
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