The Commissioner of the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), Colonel Kwadwo Damoah, has accused the Office of the Special Prosecutor of an attempt to discredit him.
Addressing senior Customs officers at a retreat in Kumasi, Colonel Damoah said the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) attempted to indict him and the Deputy Commissioner of Operations of the GRA in an investigative report released this week.
He said the report about the Labianca Company Limited was a calculated attempt to dent his reputation and will fail.
Colonel Damoah also asserted that the Special Prosecutor’s investigation is “hollow and actuated by malice”.
According to him, the claims are being made by a disgruntled former staff of the GRA.
Col. Kwadwo Damoah alleged that the Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng has targeted him because he blocked one Mr Akurugu from being seconded to the OSP.
He added that he is ready for prosecution, and as long as he remains Commissioner, he will ensure his officers are protected against intimidation.
In its investigative report, the OSP cited one Joseph Adu Kyei, a Deputy Commissioner of Customs in charge of Operations, for issuing “unlawful customs advance ruling”.
Mr. Kyei’s action is said to have led to the reduction of the benchmark values of the frozen foods imported by Labianca Limited, thereby reducing the company’s tax obligations to the state.
The Special Prosecutor issued an interim directive to Labianca Company Limited to pay over one million cedis, representing the short collection or shortfall of revenue arising from the issuance of the unlawful customs advance ruling by the Deputy Commissioner for Customs in charge of operations, Joseph Adu Kyei into the Asset Recovery Account of the Office of the Special Prosecutor.
