GRA Annonces E-Auction For Vehicles

The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has announced it will begin auctioning vehicles online by the end of October 2022.

This will take effect on October 21, 2022.

GRA said the electronic platform known as the E-Auction module on the Integrated Customs Management System (ICUMS) will initially be piloted with the auction of selected vehicles.

The Commissioner General of the GRA, Rev. Amishaddai Owusu Amoah who relayed this said the initiative is meant to improve services through various online and technology platforms.

He is confident the E-Auction will make its customers feel comfortable and reduce corruption.

“We have the E-VAT, E-invoicing and other innovative means by which customers are able to pay taxes and avoid some alleged corruption in our various offices. Another initiative is that by the end of October, we want to begin an E-Auction at the ports so that if you want to buy a car, just be home and click to search for the kind of car you want without coming to the port”.

This comes after the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) banned the Customs Division of the GRA from undertaking auctions over suspected corruption and corruption-related offences.

It also announced it was undertaking investigations into the sale of auction vehicles and other goods by the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) between July 2016 and August 15, 2022.

The OSP in its press release dated August 22 directed the Commissioner of the Customs Division then, Col Kwadwo Damoah, to submit particulars and clear descriptions of all auctioned items; the quantity of all auctioned items; prices at which the items were auctioned; the date of each auctioned sale; and details of the successful bidders.

The requested information were to be submitted to the OSP before or on September 30, 2022, the Office directed.

Col. Damoah was asked to proceed with retirement after he was hit by multiple corruption allegations.

First was a report by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) which found that the Division had illegally awarded a down mark of benchmark value to Labianca Company Limited, a company belonging to a Council of state member.

Next was alleged corruption and corruption-related offences in the auction of cars by the Division from 2016 to 2022.

Then, the surfacing of a memo dated October 8, 2021, from an official of the Intelligence Unit of the GRA, Johnny Agbawu to the Commissioner of the Intelligence Unit which recounted how some alleged officials from the Customs Division pursued him to release a truck he had impounded on the Kpone barrier of the Aflao-Accra on October 7, 2021, over duty infractions.

Col Damoah came out to describe the report of the OSP concerning Labianca Company as “hollow” and lacking substance, however, he did not respond to the subsequent issues.

Source: opemsuo.com/Hajara Fuseini