GCNet denies milking state of $40bn yearly with politicians

The Deputy Managing Director of Ghana Community Network Limited (GCNet) Emmanuel Darko has dismissed claims that Ghana loses about $40 billion annually due to revenue fraud at the ports and harbours.

A revenue monitoring activist Kudzo Akpabi made the claim on Morning Starr Monday, describing the situation as “alarming”.

“I would say – and we have documents to support this – we are losing $30 to $40 billion, not cedis, every year to fake invoicing and misinvoicing,” Akpabi said.

Akpabi added that some politicians are colluding with some officers in charge of the Ghana Community Network (GCNet) clearing platform–which was introduced 10 years ago to ensure the smooth electronic processing of customs documentation to ensure accuracy of information and also reduce the port clearing process–to manipulate the system to under-declare and under-invoice, and in some cases issue fake invoices thereby denying the State of huge amounts of revenue.

But speaking to host of Morning Starr Kafui Dey on Starr 103.5FM, Tuesday, Darko categorically stated that it is impossible for the country to lose $40 billion annually.

“40 to 60 billion [dollars] it is impossible,” Darko exclaimed, adding "what is the whole Ghana budget, 2014 is about 33 billion and that is about 10 billion dollars, 2015 is projected to be 39 billion dollars… so it is impossible."

Darko added that GCNet is not colluding with politicians to defraud the state assuring that a lot of measures are being put in place for the smooth electronic processing of customs documentation.