CEPS Syndicate At Harbour Swerves National Security & Threatens its Operatives Nation Loses Billions In Revenue, As Proceeds Go Into Private Pockets Despite his dynamism, and strenuous efforts to ensure that the National Security apparatus works diligently, Col. (Rtd) Larry Gbevlo-Lartey, the National Security Coordinator, has been dazed by the mysterious disappearance of over a score of vehicles at the Tema Harbour. The vehicles, which were imported into the country in ten forty-footer containers, have vanished into thin air. The National Security Coordinator is duty-bound to find the cars, but his operatives, who have issued queries to CEPS and Ports Authorities as part of their investigations into the loss of the vehicles, are being threatened with death, our sources alleged.

Meanwhile the disappearance of the vehicles from the Port, which obviously occurred without proper CEPS clearing procedures, has rendered the Statutory Confiscated Vehicle Allocation Committee set up by the government to scrutinize concessions granted importers of vehicles to prevent revenue leakage at the Port impotent so long as the missing vehicles cannot be located.

According to information received from impeccable sources at the Tema Harbour, the missing vehicles, which were shipped in forty-footer containers, had been parked at the Port for over a year.

The vehicles were supposedly impounded for over-staying the stipulated period of 60 days at the Port, and were therefore to be auctioned if owners fail to clear them after an extension of time had been granted them.

However, when the containers were eventually opened by National Security and CEPS officials, they were shocked to find them empty even though the seals on them were intact.

To add insult to injury, some of the containers contained only a used car tyre, ice-chest, or two pieces of rotten dough-nuts. Observers believe this was meant to ridicule government and the National Security apparatus for their burning determination to rake in maximum revenue to the state, instead of allowing the unbridled stealing and corruption that has bedeviled the system! Our sources believe this is the reaction of unpatriotic elements that saw the setting up of the Statutory or Confiscate/Vehicles Allocation Committee by the new administration in February 2009 through an Act of Parliament to bring sanity into the clearing of overstayed vehicles at the ports.

The committee comprises three members drawn from CEPS, Office of the Chief of Staff, and the Ministry of Finance, with National Security overseeing their work.

The committee's duty is to review applications from individuals and institutions that default in clearing their goods during the 60-day period allotted to them for a two-week extension to clear them.

The Committee thoroughly reviews the applications before allowing the goods or vehicles to be released to the owners after the appropriate revenue is paid to government chest through CEPS.

Readers may recall that CEPS operates a Computerized Customs System, simply called the GC-Net at the Ports. Our sources reveal that the system is programmed to block payment for items, especially vehicles, after they have over-stayed the 60-day period at the ports. CEPS can only unblock the system if the Committee writes a letter authorizing it to do so. It is only then that the clearing process can begin in respect of those goods. It is illegal, to be precise, criminal for any CEPS official to break through the system and open it for clearance without authorization by the Committee.

It goes without saying that the letter requesting extension of the period written by the importer is thoroughly reviewed before the Committee authorizes the clearance of the item(s) or vehicle(s).

In spite of these checks and balances put in place to check revenue leakage, the rot at our ports seems to be worsening by the day. This is confirmed by another startling revelation The Ghanaian Democrat intelligence has stumbled upon. This involves the mystery surrounding a luxury Honda Infinity and seven other top class cars that almost left port without due process at the Golden Jubilee Terminal at the Tema Harbour.

The consignee, one Yaw Sarfo Brobbey, of Post Office Box Number 9649, Kumasi, had seven vehicles sent to him from abroad in a container.

The vehicles, according to our information, were a Porsche Cayon, a Lexus RX 350, one Mercedes Benz, one Honda Accord, a Toyota Corolla, and two Toyota Camry cars.

The Manifest covering the vehicles was said to have stated eight cars, with the eighth one being a Honda Infinity, but when the container was opened, there was no Infinity in it. Whether that vehicle arrived at the Port or not remains a mystery.

The shipping line that brought the container was reported as GRIMALDI Ghana Ltd. Our information has it that the clerks of two shipping agencies, Freight Consult Ghana Ltd and J&E Shipping Company Ltd, forged the shipping documents covering the seven cars.

The report said they also forged the signature of one Foster Adjei, Assistant Manager of GRIMALDI Ghana Ltd, and used a fake stamp of the company to try to clear the vehicles.

It is alleged that through the collaboration with some Port and CEPS officials, they nearly succeeded in clearing the vehicles. They got as far as the last point to get the vehicles out of the Port. It was reported that a tip off by one Nii Amasah Neequaye, Operations Manager, Golden Jubilee Terminal, that prevented the dubious clearing agents and their CEPS collaborators from taking the vehicles away without the knowledge of National Security operatives at the Port. The vehicles are currently in possession of National Security which is investigating the matter.

This is evidence of how corruption in State Institutions is crippling the government machinery, and the CEPS seems to be a major culprit. In fact, is alleged that top ranking officials of the revenue agency are involved in corruption and crimes against the State by pocketing revenue that should go to the state. The situation is so bad that our sources allege that about two-thirds of any money that should accrue to government at the ports and borders goes into the pockets of Custom Officers. According to the sources, if government makes 1 million Cedis almost 600,000 Cedis is siphoned by CEPS Officials. They allege that some Customs officers go home each day with not less than one thousand Ghana Cedis in their pockets, and that this is only a fraction of the amount they dubiously make a day. They see their blue and blue/black uniforms as passport for riches.

The sources further disclose that government can make three-fold the revenue it is making now if proper checks or an overhaul of CEPS is undertaken to block the channels and mechanisms CEPS Officers use to siphon revenue that is due to the state.

The Ghanaian Democrat is privy to other information that alleges that these corrupt practices by CEPS can be found at all the nation’s ports, borders across the country and even at check points on the roads to and from neighboring West African countries.

This speaks volumes about how items in containers can go missing and vehicles brought into the country via our borders come with fake registration numbers. CEPS officials, no doubt, condone with crime and make the importers escape the payment of duties.

Many observers who have closely followed the appalling development at CEPS believe that the recent appointment of a new CEPS boss, an old worker at CEPS who has just about two years more to go on retirement, may not help to effect any real changes in the operations of the institution. They are therefore not baffled that stealing at the ports and borders is still taking place, and is largely perpetrated by CEPS officials.

They wonder if the new boss was the right person to take that position or whether he could do the job. They have suggested that even a probe into the operations of CEPS may not do much to curb the situation and that government may have to undertake a total overhaul of the institution because corruption seems to be deeply rooted in one of the nation's most lucrative revenue earners. Stay tuned for more stunning reports about CEPS.