Fraud at Tema Port; Ghana loses $100m monthly

Rot, complicity and systematic corruption at the Tema Port alone is said to cost the nation 100 million dollars in tax revenue every month.

Undercover investigations by the Center for Freedom and Accuracy in partnership with Tiger Eye Private Investigators have revealed a trend where tonnes of containers of imported goods are made to escape the tax net under the watch of officials of Tema Port.

The investigations also revealed a disturbing practice, where importers falsify the contents of their containers to evade taxes.

Andy Awuni, Executive Director of the Center for Freedom and Accuracy told journalists on Thursday that two retired service officials whose name are being withheld, are at the centre of the practice to rob the nation.

Mr. Awuni said his outfit has “exclusive documentations” and videos of the two ex-service men conniving with port officials to falsify documentations as well as help importers to bypass the system, between 2012 and 2013.

He mentioned for instance how the officials have managed to let importers pay as little as Gh¢200 so as to avoid the scan machine.

Mr. Awuni described the ports “as one of the institutions that bring a lot of shame and disgrace” to the nation.