Report: Customs Division 2021 Corruption Scandal Pops Up

A 2021 corruption scandal hovering over the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has popped up after ten months.

This was contained in a circulating memo dated October 8, 2021, from an official of the Intelligence Unit of the GRA, Johnny Agbawu to the Commissioner of the Intelligence Unit.

Johnny recounted that his team intercepted two trucks with registration numbers GW6759-11 and GT 8502-16 on the Kpone barrier of the Aflao-Accra road on October 7, 2021, while undertaking their operation.

Jonny alleges that he was pursued with calls from persons from the Customs Division to release the trucks.

“Immediately the trucks were intercepted, the owner of the truck with registration number GT 8502-16, known as Shata Wale placed a call and brought the phone to me to talk to someone allegedly from the Commissioner-Customs office but I refused. She brought the phone the second time and said someone called Kojo Bonsu wanted to, I again refused to talk to the person. The third time she said Kojo Bonsu said I should release the truck to go”.

“I received a call from this number (0244440119) a lady claiming to be a customs officer ordering me to release the truck or face the consequences”.

The trucks eventually were sent to the KIA barracks.

It is yet to be established if any action was taken in that regard.

This comes after the Special Prosecutor announced it was investigating alleged corruption and corruption-related offences in the sale of auction cars by the Customs Division from 2016 to 2022 and on that note, banned the Division from auctioning cars in the course of the investigations.

The investigation seconds the OSP’s establishment that the Division awarded an illegal markdown of benchmark value to Labianca Company Limited, a company owned by a Council of State member.

Source: opemsuo.com/Hajara Fuseini