Leo Anthony Siamah
Head of Legal and Prosecution at the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), Leo Anthony Siamah, has dismissed allegations that the agency employs a ‘rambo-style’ approach by randomly stopping vehicles on the road in its efforts to combat vehicle theft in Ghana.
Speaking in an interview on TV3, he noted that EOCO utilises a database to track garages and dealerships during asset investigations, aiding in the fight against organised crime.
He also disclosed a worrying trend of more than 70 percent of the intercepted vehicles falling outside its original list.
“Out of the 300, we were able to recover about 66. But what is worrying is that more than 70 percent of vehicles we intercepted outside the original list also turned out to be stolen. This shows the problem is much bigger, with some estimates suggesting up to 10,000 stolen vehicles may be entering Ghana each year,” he said.
Mr. Siamah clarified that EOCO’s approach involves tracing vehicles through data and investigations, rather than random stops.
He highlighted that most of the 66 recovered vehicles were tracked to garages where they were being sold.
He advised potential buyers to conduct thorough checks beyond surface-level inspections when purchasing vehicles.
“If you do not do proper due diligence, the law does not give you any cause of action against the person who sold you a stolen vehicle. So, you need to take extra steps,” he cautioned.
Mr. Siamah further urged all car buyers to check with INTERPOL or EOCO to confirm that vehicles they are purchasing are not stolen before making payments.
He stressed that “the fact that duty has been paid on a vehicle does not legitimise the transaction. We urge buyers to check with INTERPOL or EOCO before proceeding to buy vehicles abroad.”
Mr. Siamah also warned that certain vehicle models, such as the Honda CR-V, Ford F-150, Range Rover, and Dodge Ram are often flagged as suspicious.
“These are four brands that are very high in terms of the number of stolen vehicles we recover. Most of them happen to be these vehicles. So, obviously, if you are going to purchase one of those vehicles, that should be a red flag for you,” he added.