Vietnamese Remanded Over VAT Evasion

Two Vietnamese were yesterday, June 29 remanded in prison custody by an Accra circuit court, for alleged tax evasion.

Nguyem Yuan Ohiah, alias John, and Nguyem Yuan Thang, alias Michael and two others were alleged to have evaded VAT to the tune of ?182.2million. A bench warrant was issued for the arrest of their accomplices, Bui Mimh Tuven, alias Tony, and Ta Ann Quang, alias David, who are currently at large.

Ohiah and Thang?s pleas were not taken and the court, presided over by Mr. Williwise Kyeremeh, remanded them to reappear on July 5, 2005.

Prosecuting, assistant superintendent of police, Mr. Paul Frimpong, told the court that Ohiah and Thang had a company named Tan Viert Garment and Trading Company limited at Tudu in Accra in January, 2002 and had begun importing garments. The company registered with the VAT Service during the same period.

He said Ohiah and two other managers got involved in money laundering and were deported. Thang was given power of attorney to run the company as a director and he engaged the services of Tuven and Quang, to take charge of the Kumasi office of the company as branch managers. Following the deportation, Ohiah directed his secretary to write to the VAT secretariat for deregistration of his company with the service.

The VAT service then asked the company to settle tax it owned it before the request could be met as stipulated under the VAT. After auditing its accounts, the VAT service realized that the company had evaded tax to the tune of ?182.2million and gave Ohiah 21 days to pay up.

Following that, Thang, Tuven and Quang organised themselves, hired a truck and conveyed heaps of bales and garments from their shops in Accra and Kumasi and bolted to Lome, Togo. Interpol arrested Tuven and Quang in Lome.

During the course of the investigations, it came to light that Tuven and Quang had neither a resident permit nor work permit in Ghana.