Customs officials in the Ashanti Region have seized and detained a container filled with goods due to the owner’s failure to pay duty. The case has been referred to the investigative department of the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority for further inquiry.
The interception of the container took place in Adiembra, a suburb of the Kumasi metropolis, after customs officials discovered that the importer was unloading goods without paying the required duty. It was found that the importer had not paid duty on a vehicle and five motorbikes that were brought into the country.
Kwame Agyemang Badu, the officer in charge of Preventive at the Customs Division, explained the sequence of events leading to the interception. Acting on intelligence received on Friday, customs officers mobilized and proceeded to the scene where they found the container loaded onto a truck. The container was then brought to their yard, and upon inspection, unentered vehicles and motorbikes were discovered. The goods were subsequently detained as instructed by the sector commander, and further investigations will be carried out by the investigative department.
The timing of this seizure comes shortly after the Importers and Exporters Association accused customs officers of harassing their members in the Ashanti Region. However, the Ashanti Sector Commander of the Customs Division, Vivian Glover, dismissed the allegations, stating that the interception of these goods was based on intelligence and not intentional targeting of importers. She emphasized that the officers will continue to monitor and coordinate with exit points, harbors, and ports to ensure thorough examination procedures.
Once investigations are concluded, the owner of the goods will be required to pay the duty along with a 300% penalty.
Source – citinewsroom.com
