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Customs Officers linked to GH¢85m goods diversion to be interdicted — Nyarko Ampem

 


Deputy Minister of Finance, Thomas Nyarko Ampem, has disclosed that formal processes are underway to investigate the alleged diversion of 18 articulated trucks loaded with assorted goods, including cooking oil, spaghetti, and tomato paste, in what is suspected to be a transit fraud scheme.

Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show on Monday, February 23, the Deputy Minister assured the public that authorities are treating the matter with urgency and will impose sanctions on all persons found to have played a role in the operation.

He stressed that the government is determined to clamp down on organised customs-related fraud and restore discipline within the system.

According to him, the Minister of Finance, Cassiel Ato Forson, has already directed the leadership of the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority to act swiftly on the matter.

He disclosed that preliminary steps, including internal reviews and administrative procedures, have commenced and could soon lead to immediate punitive measures.

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 directive follows the recent interception of 18 articulated trucks suspected to be part of a transit diversion network at the Akanu and Aflao border posts.

The trucks had reportedly been declared for transit to Niger but were suspected to have been diverted for sale within the local market, a practice that deprives the state of significant customs revenue.

On February 18, 2026, the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), acting through its Customs Division, intercepted the trucks and confirmed that they were carrying assorted consumer goods, including cooking oil, spaghetti, and tomato paste.

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