Col. (Rtd) Kwadwo Damoah
The Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) is edgy after media reports suggesting a possible shakeup at the top echelon of the authority.
The alleged reports, coming on the wheels of an investigative report from the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) in relation to customs valuation, have sparked an angry outburst by the management of the Customs Division and the leadership of the Customs Staff Association (CSA).
The CSA, in a statement released yesterday and jointly signed by the National Chairman, Ebenezer Bob-Eshun; and National Secretary, Gift Kofi Tsamah, said nerves remained raw in the Customs Division, which is in turmoil over a wave of reports to replace Rev. Dr. Ammishaddai Owusu-Amoah and Col. (Rtd) Kwadwo Damoah, Commissioner-General and Commissioner of Customs respectively.
“The timing of these publications is particularly distractive and worrying as it coincides with the Management Retreat of the Customs Division in Kumasi aimed at strategising and adopting measures to exceed this year’s annual revenue target of GH¢20.6 billion,” the statement noted.
It said the appointing authority and the general public ought to note that the management of the Customs Division and the CSA had resolved to throw their “unflinching support” behind Col. (Rtd) Damoah to continue as the Commissioner, especially “in these difficult periods when the country is in dire need of revenue.”
The statement pointed out that Col. Damoah’s tenure as Commissioner had seen considerable improvement in the performance of the Customs Division, and this has led to the achievement of the annual revenue targets from the year 2020 to date, with the Division exceeding its target for the year 2021.
“Considering the difficult economic situation currently facing the country, the Customs Division requires industrial harmony and consistency at its top hierarchy to deliver on its mandate of raising the much-needed revenue and to continue to secure the borders of the country in the face of imminent threats of terrorism,” the CSA asserted.
The statement explained that this is because “we cannot predict the reaction of the rank and file at any attempt to destabilise the top management of customs at this crucial time,” and accordingly, admonished the government against any such attempt to remove the current Commissioner.
OSP Report
The CSA descended on the Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng, describing as flawed the investigation conducted by his office on the alleged corrupt activities involving Labianca Group of Companies and the Customs Division of GRA.
The Association indicated that the report was misconceived, “and same is borne out of the misconception of the benchmark values” as a method of valuation rather than a risk management tool.
The OSP, on August 3, issued an investigative report which indicated that the Labianca Group of Companies, a frozen foods company owned by a member of the Council of State, Eunice Jacqueline Buah Asomah-Hinneh, had been made to pay GH¢1,074,627.15, which represented a shortfall in import duties paid to GRA.
The OSP argued that Ms. Asomah-Hinneh used her position as a member of the Council of State and member of the Board of Directors of the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) to get a favourable decision from the Customs Division.
However, the CSA said the report is “inconsistent with the World Trade Organisation’s (WTO) Rules on Customs Valuation and Section 67 of the Customs Act, 2015 (Act 891).”
“We, therefore, contend that the use of a risk assessment tool like the Benchmark Values to draw such conclusions is technically flawed,” the CSA stressed.
For them, there is, therefore, nothing wrong with the approvals made by the Commissioner since “such approvals accord with the customs laws and established procedures in force.”
“We are firmly committed to achieving and possibly exceeding this year’s annual revenue target,” the CSA assured.
By Ernest Kofi Adu