Customs officer flayed for insolence

Accra, Sept. 4, GNA - Mr. Justice Samuel Glenn Baddoo, Chairman of the Committee Investigating Operational Malpractices at the Customs, Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS), on Tuesday flayed a customs officer, Mr George Baiden, for showing disrespect to the Committee. Members of the Committee challenged the professional competence and reliability of the Mr. Baiden, who said he held a Higher National Diploma in Electrical Engineering and had worked with the Service for 32 months.

Mr. Baddoo also chastised Mr. Baiden as rude and impertinent, when Mr Baiden asked the Committee if he could do otherwise than say that he could not recognize a police officer, Sgt. George Tetteh, who, said he had interacted with him on three different occasions. Mr. Baiden was being cross-examined at the Committee's sitting in Accra, on evidence by Sgt George Tetteh, of the Police CID. Sergeant Tetteh sat opposite to Mr Baiden and produced a business card, which he said Mr Baiden had given him on his first visit to the CEPS, but despite accepting that the card was his, Mr Baiden said he could not recall the interactions that Sgt Tetteh said he had with him Mr. Baiden apologized to the Committee, but had earlier indicated that despite his forgetfulness, it was possible Sgt. Tetteh might have interacted with him.

According to Sgt. Tetteh, he had a tip-off in May, this year that custom documents on an Accura saloon car, imported from the US and was in the possession of one Mr Yaw Owusu-Achiaw, were fake. He went to the CEPS IT Room in Accra, to verify the information, which after checking, Mr Baiden told him were genuine and that the duty had been paid. However, the informant told him that the papers were not genuine and after further interactions with Mr Baiden, he prepared the case for court and the case is pending. 04 Sept. 07