Lamentation of Deputy Commissioner of Customs

I’m Under Threat
-Corrupt importers let-loose assassins as stolen state cash remains unpaid





Millions of Ghana Cedis belonging to the Ghana government cannot be retrieved from thieving shipping agents and importers of goods because the officer responsible for recovery of the monies to the state fears for his life.
Mr. Sam Akwasi Yankyeram, a Deputy Commissioner (Operations) of the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), who is also responsible for Revenue Mopping and Administration on Customs Transaction is reported to have been threatened with death by offending importers and their agents whose nefarious activities (resulting in the state losing several millions of Cedis) have been uncovered and are being pursued to fork-out the cash.
An exercise embarked by the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) under the auspices of the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning (MoFEP) and in conjunction with a private Investigative firm, specialized in Financial & Investment Consultancy, Akpabey & Associates, between 2007 and 2010; reveals how importers and their agents using fake FCVR’s, grossly under-valued imported goods into the country, thereby depriving the state of millions of cedis in Customs revenue.
Most of the offending importers, covering the period 2007-2010, and using specially designed software have been hunted-down and are coughing-up the appropriate Customs duties. However, what has provoked the death threats, a source closed to the cheating importers is; the slapping of 100% penalty on them.
This the source disclosed has put the fear of God in the man in charge of retrieving the illegal monies at the GRA, Sam Akwasi Yankyeram, who is said to have ‘virtually abandoned’ the chase for the loot from these unscrupulous and unpatriotic business people, thereby practically stifling the whole useful but brilliant exercise.
When reached for his side of the story, the Deputy Commissioner (Operations) of the Customs Division of GRA, Mr. Sam Akwasi Yankyeram confirmed the threat of death on his life but denied it was the reason for the now snail pace of the exercise.
“Well, I think this is normal, there are people who are not happy when you want to do something which are right”. This was Akwasi Yankyeram’s reponse to our first question on whether it is true his life is in danger.
Even though, he stated that he didn’t have concrete evidence of those who want him eliminated save, to say it was based on hearsay, he nevertheless believed his sources.
“Well, I don’t have any evidence except hearsay-it is people who have heard of the plot who came to inform me and I have no doubt to disbelieve them”, Mr. Yankyeram elaborated.
When asked whether he has reported the threat to the security agencies, he insistently said no because he claims this is not the first time he is getting such threats.
“No, no, normally these things, in the course of your job, if you always want to be fair and principled, you get this things (threats), people even go to the extent of concocting stories, telling lies, that sort of things, with time you get used to them”. He confidently explained.
The Deputy Commissioner (Operations) of the Customs Division of the GRA however, denied the threat on his life is the cause of stalling the exercise, stressing, the exercise has so far been successful:
“Yes, it’s been quite successful we have managed to recoup much of the principal…much of the principal has been recouped, but you see we imposed some penalty.
“We are just given them some leeway because most of them say they can’t trace the importers, but we have actually recouped much of the principal…but there is one or two who claimed they can’t find the importers, but what we have to do is; they will have to pay, the agents would have to pay and in that case we decided to give it a humane face. I give them chance to pay”, Mr. Yankyeram revealed.
When asked if he is afraid of his life, Mr. Yankyeram gave an emphatic No answer.