Ghana loses $150m monthly due to corruption at Tema Port – Report
An undercover investigation has revealed that the country is losing more than $150 million every month to individuals, foreigners and private companies in tax evasion, import levies and excise duties at the Tema Port.
The investigation was conducted by the Centre for Freedom and Accuracy in partnership with Tiger Eye PI, promoters of the National Anti-Corruption campaign.
Mr Andrew Awuni, Executive Director of the Centre, who disclosed this at a media conference in Accra said the investigations showed that scores of containers of imported goods escape the tax net daily under the watch of the security agents and custom officials at the Tema Port.
He said smuggling at the borders is on the increase and that the two organisations have in their possession a video footage and hard copies of the documentary evidence of the corrupt activities at the Tema Port and would make it known to the public after disclosing it to the government.
He said their investigation discovered that two retired service officials who operate their own clearing agencies are at the centre of a massive tax evasion syndicate at the Tema Port.
Mr Awuni said their mode of operation is that, they connive with some serving officers at the port to ignore the inspection process and give their own description to containers on custom documentation to attract very little or no tax at all.
He said the containers are described as carrying low valued goods such as foodstuff, provisions and super market or house hold items and most of the consignees are people known to be owners of major trading companies in the country.
Mr Awuni said the investigations revealed that in January, a consignee received 85 containers with contents described as food provisions with a small town in the Eastern Region as the destination.
He added that the same consignee in February took delivery of another 30 containers described as containing provisions with their destination as the same small town in the Eastern Region.
Research found out that no supermarket in that town has the ability to absorb even 20-footer container loads.
Mr Awuni said the shipper of these consignments is a Thailand based company whose business is something other than the production or distribution of provision.
He said the trick is that the company declares high value items like air conditioners, fridges, television sets as assorted foodstuff or provisions and pay less duty.
Mr Anas Aremeyaw Anas, Chief Executive Officer of Tiger Eye PI, said the investigation should be seen as national concern and must not be politicise.
Mr Aremeyaw Anas commended government for responding swiftly to his earlier story on corruption at the Tema Port.
He said investigations also revealed that the electronic system that scans the containers are not properly used because most of the containers are not scanned and are made to pay GH¢200 to ignore the scanning.
Source: GNA