Deputy Minister of Finance, Thomas Nyarko Ampem, has indicated that formal procedures are being carried out to look into the alleged diversion of 18 articulated vehicles carrying a variety of items, such as tomato paste, spaghetti, and cooking oil, in what is thought to be a transit fraud operation.
The Deputy Minister told the audience during an appearance on the Citi Breakfast Show on Monday, February 23, that authorities are handling the situation urgently and will punish anyone found to have contributed to the operation.
He emphasized the government’s will to combat organized crime linked to customs and bring order back to the system.
He claims that the Ghana Revenue Authority’s Customs Division leadership has already received a directive from the Minister of Finance to take immediate action.
He said that initial actions, such as administrative processes and internal reviews, have begun and may shortly result in urgent disciplinary actions.
“The Minister gave directives to the Commissioner General of Customs to act immediately. The report I got from the Commissioner General as at last night indicates that they have started their internal processes and we expect that by close of day today or tomorrow, some disciplinary actions will take place. It is going to happen.
“Queries were issued to the officers who were assigned to escort the trucks out of Ghana and they are expected to respond by end of day today. After that, the necessary action including interdiction, will happen. The interdiction will happen.”
The ban comes after 18 articulated vehicles that were allegedly a part of a transit diversion network were recently stopped at the border crossings in Akanu and Aflao.
The trucks were suspected of being diverted for sale in the local market, a practice that costs the state a lot of money in customs revenue, even though they had been declared for transit to Niger.
Through its Customs Division, the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) stopped the trucks on February 18, 2026, and verified that they were transporting a variety of consumer items, such as tomato paste, spaghetti, and cooking oil.
NKONKONSA.com
