Finance Minister Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson has pledged swift disciplinary and legal action against any Customs officers found complicit in a suspected transit diversion scheme that exposed the state to more than GH₵ 85 million in potential revenue losses.
The Minister made the remarks after visiting the Akanu and Aflao border posts on Friday, following the interception of 18 articulated trucks declared as goods in transit to Niger.
According to the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), intelligence and field surveillance revealed that the trucks were moving without the mandatory Customs Human Escorts required under Ghana’s transit protocols.
The consignment, released from the Akanu Border Post under Bill of Entry Number 80226125039, was expected to exit at Kulungugu via the Eastern Corridor.
The cargo was declared as 44,055 packages weighing 879,860 kilograms.
So far, 12 of the 18 trucks have been impounded. Eleven are being held at the Tema Transit Yard for detailed inspection and legal processing, while one truck overturned during an attempted evasion. The remaining six trucks are being pursued.
Initial suspended duties were estimated at GH₵ 2.6 million.
However, further examinations uncovered discrepancies in declared values, tariff classifications, and weights, pushing the revised suspended revenue exposure to GHS 85,306,578.33.
Describing the incident as deeply troubling, Dr. Forson did not mince words in addressing Customs officers.
“I am very disgusted about what happened yesterday. I’m very, very, very disappointed,” he said.
He linked the revenue loss to Ghana’s broader development challenges, adding, “If you have a country with such magnitude development challenge… where unemployment is high… where we struggle to fund free senior high school… and you see revenue leakage of such magnitude, you get disappointed.”
The Minister added, “What happened yesterday was nothing short of organised crime… It’s a group of citizens coming together to dupe a country.”
He has directed the GRA to undertake comprehensive investigations immediately, stressing that any Customs officer found culpable will face prompt disciplinary action in accordance with the law.
Criminal investigations will also extend to importers and clearing agents where evidence supports prosecution.
As part of immediate corrective measures, the Minister announced a ban on all land transit of cooking oil, directing that such consignments must be routed exclusively through Ghana’s seaports.
Enhanced monitoring and strict compliance enforcement have also been ordered for all transactions originating from land collection points.
Dr. Forson reaffirmed government’s resolve to protect domestic revenue and national development efforts.
“Every cedi matters in our collective effort to fund national priorities,” he stated, adding that Ghana’s customs regime will not be allowed to be exploited at the expense of the nation.
