Deputy National Security Director at Tema Port arrested

An unnamed deputy Director of National Security and three officials of the Customs Division of Ghana Revenue Authority have been arrested at the Tema Port for deals leading to the loss of revenue to the state.

The three officials include a lady.

Also nabbed are the owners and the clearing agents involved in the deal of off loading containers destined for the Port of Togo.

Investigations have begun into the activities, and video footage taken would soon be released to the press, Mr Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed, Deputy Minister of Information and Media Relations told journalists  on Thursday at the  daily media briefing at the Flagstaff House in Accra.

He said the arrests formed part of efforts to block all revenue leakages in the country.

Mr Mohammed briefed the media also on the arrival of American fire experts to help in the investigations into the recent fire outbreaks in several major markets in the country, the dismissal of  the Managing Director of Metro Mass Transit  Limited, Maxwell Awuku; the crackdown on illegal miners as well as the state of the Ghanaian economy.

On the arrival of the Americans, Mr Mohammed said President John Mahama had never been emphatic on the cause of the fires, which the Deputy Minister said would be known when the investigations are done.

He welcomed contributions into the two million Ghana cedi fund announced by President Mahama, and said the fund would not only benefit  traders who suffered losses at Makola No 2, but  the Kantamanto and other markets as well.

He however said an interim report had been submitted to the team of Americans who have arrived in the country to help unravel the cause of the fires.

On the dismissal Mr Awuku of the Metro Mass Transport, the Deputy Minister said due process was followed. He however did not explain why.

He advised the media to be cautious in the reportage of the recent crackdown on illegal miners which had wrongly created the impression that the Chinese were targets of the action.

Mr Mohammed said the action is not against the Chinese, but all illegal miners, and apart from the Chinese, six Russians, and nationals from South Africa, United States of America, Nigeria and some Spaniards have also been arrested.

He said a delegation from China is to meet the Foreign Affairs Minister and the Ghana Immigration officials to discuss the modalities of the Chinese, who would want to be send back home.

Where allegations of seizure of assets of miners by the Inter Ministerial Task Force have been made, the Deputy Information and Media Relations Minister urged for a report to be made to the appropriate bodies and support the report with evidence for the necessary action to be taken.

He said emphatically that the economy of Ghana is not broke, but rather facing challenges; and a further plus to President Mahama for being bold to admit that the economy is challenged.

Mr Mohammed explained that the Government would not have been able to pay salaries, and perform other state functions if the economy were broke.

Source: GNA