The Mayor of London in the United Kingdom is chasing the Ghana High Commission among other diplomatic missions for more than 42 million Pounds for driving in the streets of London.
Ghana ranks high on the list of nations owing the Mayor of London for what is termed as Congestions Charges. Ghana owes 1.2 million Pounds for using its mission’s vehicles within the city of London for a period of seven years. The London congestion charge is a fee for motorists travelling within the Congestion Charge Zone (CCZ), a traffic area in London. The charge aims to reduce congestion, and raise investment funds for London's transport system. The zone was introduced in Central London in February 2003, and extended into parts of west London, four years later.
A payment of £8 is required each day for each vehicle which travels within the zone between 7am and 6pm on weekdays and a fine of between £60 and £180 depending upon the type of vehicle is levied for non-payment. Transport For London an organisation operating under the office of the Mayor of London which oversees the operation of transport systems in London, administers the charge. The huge debt issue has galvanised a level of diplomatic row between the city authorities and the various diplomatic missions of which Ghana is part. Officials of Transport For London have served notices to all debtor missions to pay within a stipulated time but all in solidarity have defied the orders claiming the decision to charge mission vehicles for running in the streets of the capital was simply not fair.
They are chasing more than £42 million in unpaid fines from foreign embassies who claim they should not have to pay the congestion charge.
145 embassies and high commissions still have outstanding penalty charge of more than 42 million Pounds dating back seven years, but insist they should not pay because they are covered by diplomatic immunity.
The United States embassy tops the list owing £4.2million, followed by Russia at £3.6million with Japan and Germany owing £3million each since the scheme was introduced in February 2003.
Ghana is in the group of India, Sudan, Poland, and Nigeria among others who are in the one million to 1.5 million Pound range.
A chat with some members of the diplomatic corps in the UK revealed that the charging of the fee which is classified as tax is simply in contravention to diplomatic rules and regulations.
Under the Diplomatic Privileges Act 1964 and the Consular Relations Act 1968, Diplomatic missions are not supposed to pay taxes and levies but the City Authorities insist that these are charges for services.
The missions have also considered the payment of the congestion charge as contravening the obligation of the receiving state to permit and protect free communication on the part of the missions for all official purposes, as provided for in the “Clause 1 Article 27 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations signed and ratified by Britain in 1964."
A source at the Ghana High Commission confirmed the debt but noted that it has been agreed somehow by all the missions not to pay. “If we do, we will be breaking ranks.” The source added. This is because apart form being illegal, regarding diplomatic privileges, Britain also does not pay anything for use of British diplomatic cars in Accra.
“If they [Britain] claim it is a charge for service, fine. All countries use money to build and maintain their road networks for all including British diplomatic vehicles to run freely on them. So why are they charging here?” An official from Nigeria High Commission enquired.
If the authorities persist to pursue the matter as they are threatening, it would leave many diplomatic missions ineffective or huge debts.
The Ghana High Commission in London for instance has its main offices within the zone and runs errands as well as meetings in central London very often. For example, almost all government and other importance offices like the Number 10 Downing Street, The Buckingham Palace, The Parliament, commonwealth offices, Banks and departments are situated in the Congestion Charge Zone.
Close to the Ghana High Commission in the Belgrave Square are the German, Romania, Malaysian, Norwegian, Turkish, Australian, The State of Bahrain, Syrian, Brunei, Portuguese, and Argentine among tens of missions.
Without paying the fee, it will simply mean that officials cannot even drive to work let alone do any other businesses with other missions as well as attending meetings and other functions.
It will also be extremely difficult for these missions to operate since almost all of them have to drive more than one vehicle to go to one or more of these and other places in the zones more than once a day.
“Then we will have to send all our budgetary allocations to the Mayor as payment of Congestion Charge fee or penalty.” An embassy official commented. “We have raised the issues with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to take this matter at their level together with other measures that are making diplomatic life here very difficult for us.” A senior mission staff told this Journalist. Indications are that, but for the diplomatic immunity, the authorities would have pursued the case even at courts to get their monies back but for now it appears their hands are tight primarily by the diplomatic privileges and conventions.
Investigations also revealed that that apart from the congestion charge, the authorities in London charge for many other things that they do not pay in countries that they operate diplomatic missions. For instance mission vehicles are charged for parking and other road charges such as tolls whiles Britain does not pay these anywhere. Britain has also started charging for the use of VIP lounges by dignitaries at British airports’.
The US President during his visit to the UK last year condemned the practise saying he does not think it "appropriate" for embassies to pay.
