Customs Service worried about delays in prosecution

Customs, Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS) officials on Friday expressed concern over delays in prosecuting tax defaulters and evaders. They said these undue delays, especially at the law courts, have over the years lowered the morale of CEPS officials.

The CEPS officials expressed these concerns at a forum the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) organized for security agencies on the theme, "Promoting Discipline and the rule of law in the Ghanaian society."

The forum forms part of the second National Constitution Week cerebration that seeks to create awareness, public discussion and avenue for studying the constitution. The celebration also seeks to demystify the constitution as the preserve of lawyers.

The officials called for networking among the security agencies to combat crime and control the increasing indiscipline creeping into the nation. Speaking at the forum, Mr. Joe Lartey, a veteran Broadcaster, called on CEPS Officials to be a model of discipline in their operations.

Mr. Lartey said; "The nature of your operations expose you to numerous temptations but society expects you, as a paramilitary organization, to set good example of personal discipline and self-control, while at the same time promoting the rule of law in dealing with smugglers, evaders of customs duties and criminals."

Mr. Lartey called on CEPS officials to debunk the negative public perception of the institution as a gold mine where officials get rich overnight at the expense of the taxpayer. He urged honest officials of the service to uphold their integrity and expose the bad nuts among them to serve as examples to civil society "that in the mist of corruption we are clean and we are ready to fight and protect our image in the service."

Mrs. Doris Ocancy, Deputy Chairman of NCCE, urged CEPS personnel to be transparent, open and ensure predictability in their operations to build public confidence and co-operation. She said the general theme for the week, "The Constitution, Cultural Values and Good Governance," was selected to ensure that good governance becomes the order of the day.