GRA Dumps Embattled Col (Rtd) Damoah Over Labianca’s Stinking Tax Evasion Deal

The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has distanced itself from belligerent and denigrating comments that the Commissioner of Customs made in response to findings by the Special Prosecutor in the Labianca case, which involves GRA’s Customs Division.

In a statement, the Commissioner General of the GRA, Ammisshaddai Owusu-Amoah said the denigrating comments made against the SP were the personal comments of Col. Kwadwo Damoah.

“The Authority would like to state for the record that it accords the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) the respect and the dignity that the OSP carries,” he said in a press release on Sunday night.

It said the statement by the Commissioner of Customs “were made in his personal capacity and do not convey the opinion of the Board and Management of GRA.”

The SP had indicted La-Bianca, the controversial frozen food importer, over tax rebates that the Customs Division of the GRA is said to have fraudulently offered the company.

According to the OSP, the Customs division of the GRA had favored Labianca with marked-down import values because the owner of the company, Eunice Jacqueline Buah-Hinneh, had used her membership of the Ghana Ports and Harbors Authority (GPHA) Board as an influence to her advantage.

The OSP had gone on to retrieve Ghc1.074 million from Labianca.

The OSP had also cited Deputy Commissioner of Customs in charge of Operations, Joseph Adu Kyei, for issuing what it described as an unlawful customs advance ruling which reduced the benchmark values of the goods imported by Labianca Limited translating to reduced tax obligations of the company to the state.

In response to this, Col. (Rtd) Kwadwo Damoah who was speaking at the Customs Division Management Retreat at Kumasi on August 9, said the report was released with malicious intent.

According to him, the report was meant to discredit the Customs officers adding that the OSP “is trying to indict the deputy and myself.”

However, Rev. Ammishaddai Amoah wants everyone to know that those claims by the embattled Customs chief is his own personal opinion.

His statement further pledged to GRA’s readiness to assess the OSP’s report and develop measures to seal loopholes that are found to be impeding revenue mobilisation at the ports.