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17.05.2005 General News

CEPS Impounds 1,502 Wax Prints

17.05.2005 LISTEN
By graphic

The Customs, Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS), in collaboration with other security agencies, has impounded 1,502 pieces of wax prints bearing fake trademarks and no country of origin during a special exercise conduced in Accra on Sunday.

The wax prints were imported into the country and are to be sold at cheaper prices to members of the public who mistake them for those produced by Ghana Textile Printing (GTP) and Akosombo textiles Limited (ATL) because of the faked trademarks on them.

Four people, who came up to claim ownership of the goods, are helping the security agencies to conduct further investigations into the matter.

Briefing the paper in Accra yesterday, a source close to the task force said the wax prints had no country of origin written on them, while some of the prints bore inscriptions such as “Obrempon kesebi afri fie”, “Afie abosiea”, “Wo nti yerehye mo animonyam” and “Asase asa” which were trademarks of some local wax printing companies such as ATL and GTP.

The source said the goods were impounded at a warehouse near the Greater Accra Fire Service Office in Accra Central and sent to the headquarters of CEPS to crosscheck whether duties were paid on them or not.

The source said smuggling, pirating and imitated designs of wax prints from outside the country were “killing” the local wax print industry.

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