Customs official decries malpractice

Sunyani, Oct. 21, GNA - An Assistant Commissioner of the Customs and Excise and Preventive Service at the Sunyani Collection Point in Brong Ahafo has decried the various tricks adopted by some Ghanaians to acquire vehicles.

Mr E. R. K. Lanyon stated that the "craze" that ownership of a vehicle determined a person's status in society had driven some people to engage in all sorts of nefarious activities in acquiring one. He told Ghana News Agency in an interview that rules and regulations regarding the purchase and ownership of vehicle were floundered in most cases by prospective purchasers. The Customs official said the Sunyani collection point had impounded about 120 vehicles, whose owners failed to validate documents on them.

He said upon arrest the owners explained they forgot to authenticate documents on the vehicles or were ignorant of the laws regarding it.

Mr Lanyon explained that most of the impounded vehicles were apparently those that had been smuggled into the country through various subtle means.

He appealed to prospective buyers of vehicles on the open market to be wary of such transactions and insist on ensuring that the relevant documents were validated at the CEPS.

Earlier at a farewell party organised for him by the staff, Mr Lanyon, who is on transfer to Accra advised the staff to maintain the prestige of the Service as a viable and important conduit of national revenue generation.

He commended their "tremendous" teamwork and the co-operation and support of government agencies and departments, including the regional co-ordinating council in the region. Mr Lanyon noted the support "immeasurably helped us to achieve positive revenue mobilization, successfully tackle smuggling and raise the esprit de corps of the Service's staff".