CEPS Boss Rejects ?38 Million Duty

The Commissioner of Custom, Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS), Nii Okine Adjei, has rejected the payment of ?38million tax by a Ghanaian, resident in the United States, who was obeying a court ruling to pay the money for the release of her cars which have been seized by CEPS.

According to Mr. George Abraham, a relative of Miss Gifty Abraham, who is the owner of two vehicles, a Greater Accra Regional Tribunal, chaired by His Lordship Justice Kwadwo Owusu, ruled, in a case filed by Customs, against his sister, that the Commissioner of CEPS should compute the appropriate duties to be paid by the accused person before releasing the vehicles to her.

Following this order, Miss Gifty Abraham was asked to pay ?38million by CEPS for the vehicle, a Toyota Takoma Pick-up and Toyota Lexus. "When we presented the money to the CEPS Commissioner he told us he doesn't need the money and that he doesn't fear any court or anybody except the President. He told us he was not going to release the cars and that we should refer the case to our counsel", said George Abraham.

In his ruling, Justice Kwadwo Owusu, said from the facts of the case available to the court, the accused neither took part nor condoned with the clearing agents to smuggle any vehicle from the harbour. The Judge advised the police to use her as witness material against the clearing agents. The court accordingly discharged her.

George Abraham said his sister, Gifty Abraham, who is resident in the United States, shipped a container containing her personal effects and the two cars to Ghana. Abraham said when the container arrived at the port, one Kofi Nkwantabisa, allegedly broke into it and stole the Toyota Lexus.

The vehicle was later arrested at the main gate by customs officials and sent to its headquarters.

Following a petition by the sister, for the release of the cars and personal effects, CEPS reacted by a letter, dated March 8th 1999 and signed by Mr. Alex Kumar, Assistant Commissioner-in-Charge of Revenue, saying she had to wait because her case was being investigated. CEPS took the case to court and lost. Abraham said since the court ruling a year ago, the Commissioner of CEPS, Nii Adjei, has refused to release the two cars to them.

He said the Commissioner of CEPS has since licensed the cars and their whereabouts could not be traced.

In his reaction to The Accra Mail by telephone, the CEPS Commissioner said the story was full of inaccuracies. He went on, "The lady in question was arrested for trying to smuggle the vehicles into the country. She tried various tricks and was summoned to court because she had given contradictory statements about the case. She had earlier said the vehicles did not belong to her and that they could have been put into the container by her brother."

When the CEPS boss was asked to comment on the allegation that one of the cars had been registered and sold out, the Commissioner said there was nothing wrong with that.