Akufo Addo vehicle snatch : now NDC blames Shipping Agent and CEPS!

The Customs Excise and Preventive Service on Wednesday made public that its investigations, on the instructions of Lt Col Larry Gbevlo-Lartey (rtd), National Security Coordinator, have revealed that import duty on a Toyota Land Cruiser registered in the name of Nana Akufo-Addo, the 2008 Presidential Candidate of the New Patriotic Party, was undervalued by 68.27%.

However, the CEPS investigations clear Nana Akufo-Addo, who received the vehicle as a campaign donation from a person who bought it from a car dealer, of any blame.

The imported vehicle was bought from Crystal City Ltd, a popular, registered used car dealer at Dzorwulu, Accra, before the purchaser registered it in Nana Akufo-Addo's name and donated it to the presidential campaign effort of the New Patriotic Party.

Strangely CEPS has slapped a penalty of GH¢17,760.02 on the shipping agent, further demanding of the agent, what it calls "payment of the difference.” But, legal checks made by The Statesman suggest that a shipping agent has no role in determining the amount of import duty to be paid on a used vehicle.

The documents accompanying the shipment show that the importer correctly stated the age of the vehicle as 2004, leaving it to CEPS to fix the rate. The vehicle was then valued and sold for profit based on the total costs incurred, including the duty set by CEPS.

Yet, perhaps determined to justify the second such seizure of Nana Akufo-Addo"s vehicles, CEPS has shifted its attention rather to the agent, Fair Shipping Agencies Ltd, which cleared the said 4X4 vehicle, along with three others (Toyota Corolla saloon cars) on behalf of the importer, Crystal City Ltd.

The Statesman is aware of an internal confusion at CEPS on how to handle a matter, the responsibility of which only leads to their doorsteps. The officers who dealt with it are insisting that the value placed on it was the right one, considering the age and condition of the imported Toyota Land Cruiser.

However, the officers who handled the transaction are said to be found to be “negligent.” But, this is even in dispute in spite of the public statement.

The statement signed by the CEPS Commissioner, E N Doku, said the total import duty due on the vehicle was GH¢13,007.31 but what was paid was GH¢ 4,127.30.

However, our sources at CEPS say the import duty on the vehicle was low because “the Land Cruiser came in as an accident vehicle.”

Our checks at CEPS confirm that there has been an under-valuation by the revenue outfit. According to CEPS, “We have our own 'Home Delivery Value' system. We have direct links with auto manufacturers and do neglect invoices presented by importers. I accept if there was an under-valuation it would be harsh to demand penalty payment from the shipper or its agent. But, they can't run away from paying the difference.”

CEPS' Home Delivery Value places a 2004 V8 Toyota Land Cruiser at nearly $66,000. The duty for it is normally GH¢24,000. However, since it was used and declared an accident vehicle this caused a 40% depreciation, placing the price mark at $39,500 and the duty at GH¢13,000.

The vehicle, which is used by Nana Akufo-Addo's security detail, was seized by agents of National Security from a repair shop at La on March 31st. It was later dumped at the headquarters of CEPS, where the vehicle remained yesterday. Initially, CEPS refused to take custody of the vehicle but enough pressure was brought to bear for it to revalue the vehicle and find some “fault”, probably as a face-saving measure for the National Security and the Mills government.

Earlier, another Toyota Land Cruiser vehicle registered to Nana Akufo-Addo was seized by Castle agents on February16, an operation which Presidential Spokesperson Mahama Ayariga described as a “genuine mistake” and, accordingly, rendered an apology to Nana Akufo-Addo.

When Nana Akufo-Addo's office was contacted yesterday by The Statesman , they said they had nothing to say and that they were only patiently waiting for the government to finish disentangling itself of the car web it self-weaved and release the vehicle to its rightful owner.

The seizure of vehicles by government operatives has dominated public discussion since the Mills administration took power in January 2009.