[ 2017-04-25 ]

EOCO probes customs over Ibrahim Mahama's 44 dud cheques
The Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) is
dragging the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue
Authority (GRA) to its offices to assist in
investigations into the suspected import duties
evasion involving businessman Ibrahim Mahama.

The businessman, who is also the brother of former
President John Mahama, is at the centre of a
headline grabbing import scandal which has trended
in the media since last week and does not show
signs of abating anytime soon – not with the
invitation of the Customs Division to answer
questions pertaining to its role in the scandal.

Ibrahim Mahama, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of
Engineers & Planners, was hauled before the
anti-graft agency for purportedly issuing in 2015
post-dated cheques totaling 44 to the Customs
Division, being duties for imports of equipment,
but which turned out to be dud, DAILY GUIDE
learnt.

Curious minds are saying that if the New Patriotic
Party (NPP) had not won last year’s elections,
the money involved would not have been paid since
it dates back two years ago and GRA was not in a
hurry to collect it.

On Friday EOCO ordered Mr Ibrahim Mahama to pay a
sum of GH¢12.7 million for the unpaid duties.

He is to make the payment by Monday, 8th May,
2017.

Ibrahim Mahama had been invited by EOCO to answer
questions over some dud cheques he issued to the
Customs at the Tema Port to clear the heavy-duty
equipment he had imported since 2015.

Even though the cheques were dishonoured, it is
believed that he succeeded in clearing the goods
because of his connection to the seat of power.

DAILY GUIDE has also learnt that Ibrahim is being
investigated over alleged non-payment of SSNIT
contributions of his workers.

Even before this, Ibrahim Mahama has made a number
of appearances before officials of EOCO during
which he is said to have agreed to make good his
duty obligation to the state.

The invitation to the Customs to answer queries
about why it breached its standards comes at the
heels of similar questions posed by members of the
public, who wondered whether the regulations
binding payments of duties for imports have been
varied upon learning about the Ibrahim Mahama dud
cheque episode.

DAILY GUIDE investigations have indicated that
only the Sector Commander, an Assistant
Commissioner, can authorize the release of goods
at the point of entry in the case under review –
the Port of Tema – under approved conditions.

Customs officials, by their operations, do not
handle cash, the importer paying through the two
approved banks, ECOBANK and the GCB Bank.

In the case where a company or an individual wants
to make payments through cheques, they must hold
accounts with the two banks – ECOBANK or the GCB
Bank – so a quick verification of the status of
the accounts can be ascertained and a decision
taken.

Duty on goods must have been paid to trigger the
paper processing by customs officers or
specifically the Compliance Officer, before the
goods are released.

The Compliance Officer is the person who does the
verification of the accompanying documents before
the examination of the items, to ensure that they
correspond to what is recorded in the documents
before release procedures, which must be preceded
by the payment of the appropriate duties.

Once payment is made through ECOBANK or GCB Bank,
the GCNET – managers of the database –
generate a message to Customs which then proceeds
with the procedures.

The Sector Commander, in rare instances, can
authorize release of goods after the importer pays
in money, which is above what is expected to be
paid eventually so a proper tallying can be done
later.

The rescheduling of payment of duties can only be
authorized by the Commissioner-General of the GRA
and even then the importer must submit a written
application giving reasons, supported by a bank
which stands as a surety or guarantor in an event
of default.

Under this condition, which must fall within an
approved financial threshold, the importer must
have paid a certain proportion of the duty and the
rest paid on an agreed date not beyond six months.
Importer/applicant must hold ECOBANK and GCB Bank
accounts for easy verification.

A political intervention, many are conjecturing,
could have been responsible for the breach. When a
representative of the revenue collecting agency
makes a date with EOCO, another can of worms is
set to be opened in the ongoing investigation.

NDC Supporters

A poorly attended organised picketing by hordes of
National Democratic Congress (NDC) supporters –
most of them motorcyclists – added drama to the
last appearance of Ibrahim Mahama at EOCO.

An NDC national executive officer – a suspect in
an ongoing investigation at EOCO who was thought
to have organised the picketing – took to his
heels when he was spotted by a top official of the
investigation agency and beckoned him to come.

Exchanges among NDC supporters on a WhatsApp
platform said it all about how the ill-fated
picketing was organised.

One of them asked why they should go and picket
for Ibrahim Mahama when same was not done for Dr.
Stephen Opuni, embattled former COCOBOD chief
executive who was also a guest of EOCO earlier.

“If we make others look far special than others
we will never get far in our fight,” the person
argued.

In another posting, one of the supporters said he
was at the assembling point but could only see six
persons.

“Comrades, we are only about six people here so
where are guys? Pls come out now cuz NPP is taking
advantage of the situation,” the person said
frustratingly after appeals for mass support
appeared to have been ignored.

There was yet another posting in which the person
contributing to the chat said he was proceeding
from Medie on the Nsawam Road.

Source - dailyguideafrica.com

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