Currently, Ghana is
an economy that is being held together with bailing wire and glue, strangled in
a madman’s race to see what kills it first, corporate food and medical
nightmares or the ever increasing march to global financial war. In the midst
of all the challenges of labour unrest and the popular response from the
security advisor to the government which generated heated augments among
sections of the public, the president seems to be highly optimistic for a light
at the end of this tunnel.
Brigadier General
Nunoo Mensah over the weekend rebuked organised labour for their incessant
strike threats saying they should “get out of the country" if they cannot
bear the current economic hardship. His statement generated a lot of arguments
among the public as some sections agrees with him others wouldn’t accept that
as a solution to their hardship.
As the government is being flushed out of the flagstaff
house with a heat like a rat being smoked out of its hole, government is
turning on the heat on a long list of import duty-evading companies, who
defrauded the state to the tune of 735million Ghana cedis.
The companies, both
public and private as well as some ministries have up to the end of November to
cough up all illegal monies.
A presidential task
force headed by the Chief of Staff, Prosper Bani, uncovered the fraud in which
companies connived with officials of the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue
Authority between 2005 and 2012 to escape payment of huge import duties at bonded
warehouses.
Some of the major
culprits cited in the report are the United Steel Company Limited, Hippo Group
of Companies, Eurofoods, Trusty Foods and Movelle Company Limited. Others are B5 Plus Limited, CCTC Ghana
Limited and Dry Food Company Limited.
Some state agencies
such as the Electricity Company of Ghana, Tema Oil Refinery and the Ministry of
Communications have also been implicated in the report.
Dr. Clement Apaak
says companies, who pay back the monies will still face a penalty albeit less
severe.
Defaulting companies
will face prosecution and will be named and shamed in the media.
He said to promote
greater transparency, government will open a special account at the Bank of
Ghana to receive the monies and periodically publish the amount collected so
far.
A former minister for
the Interior during the Kufuor administration, Hackman Owusu Agyemang, lauded
government for uncovering the fraud, which he said had been consistently going
on for years.
Nonetheless, having
two or three immigration officers to guard a bonded warehouse makes the system
open to easy compromise.
He suggested that
such warehouses be set up in a secluded area and beefed up with more officers.
We heard recently the
fraud at rent control department where officials operate without official
receipts.
The startling
revelations of how our resources are being managed kept on unfolding. Who then
should we blame for our woes? Is it the politician or the ordinary citizen?
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