The Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has said an estimated 1,200 ‘Togo cars’ have been intercepted, in the Greater Accra Region alone, within the last two years.
These cars initially entered the country legitimately but became illegal after
exhausting their stay – falsifying documents to merit legal status and thereby
evade import taxes.
Ag. Commissioner of Customs, Seidu Iddrisu Iddisah, told B&FT that the
Division seizes an average 50 cars every month in hotspot regions – including
the Greater Accra, Ashanti, Western and Northern Regions.
The scourge, accordingly, has resulted in an estimated US$30million revenue
loss in the past two years since 2020.
The concept of ‘Togo cars’
Commissioner Iddisah, in demystifying the concept of ‘Togo cars’, explained
that though the majority of these cars come from Togo, a chunk of them is also
brought in from Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso, with Nigeria being the new
hotspot for the vice.
He said the practice results from abuse of temporary legal importation of
vehicles, captured under the ECOWAS protocols to allow easy movement of goods
and people across member-states.
The treaty allows for a maximum of 90-days for such cars to stay in the
visiting country after a tangible reason is given. The conditions attached
stipulate that the vehicle must belong to the driver; and he/she must be a
citizen of the country of origin of the car, as well as having appropriate
documents for evidence.
The age-old abuse/crime
Over the years, some Ghanaians have made it their trade – taking undue
advantage of Togo’s free port and collaborating with Togolese nationals and
people from various nationalities in the sub-region to bring these cars into
the country through the ECOWAS protocol and illegally change the vehicles’
identity after arrival in Ghana.
“Though most of these foreign nationals are caught at the borders through the
fake documents they present, some manage to drive these cars to their owners in
Accra and Kumasi by using their identity cards as Togolese nationals who are in
Ghana to visit friends and family or to do business,” Commissioner Iddisah
disclosed.
These original Ghanaian owners of the said cars, according to Mr. Iddisah,
later make fake documents of the ‘Togo car’ to match with similar cars that are
already legally imported into the country – they tamper expertly with the
chassis number beyond recognition of the layman.
He said only a trained Customs officer can detect that the chassis number has
been altered or tampered with, as two cars cannot have the same chassis number
even if they were manufactured on the same day and time by the same company.
Greed as a factor
Though the Division indicates that it is progressively tackling the menace,
Commissioner Iddisah blames the greed of some Ghanaians as the fuelling factor
of this illegality.
“A car that sells for GH¢70,000 should not be offered to anybody for GH¢30,000.
Unfortunately, that is what excites most buyers. Worse case, they do not
involve the services of Customs officials in the purchase of such cars. That is
greed, to some extent,” he noted.
Punishment
The punishment for this offence, according to the Division, is an outright
seizure of the vehicle; and in some cases prosecution after the original
‘importer’ of the vehicle is found. However, it is often difficult to trace the
importer as more than 70 percent of buyers become the first and original
victim. These vehicles usually have fake registration numbers and number
plates, and do not go through the DVLA system.
The capacity to detect
The Customs Division, according to Commissioner Iddisah, has trained officers
who have the capacity and expertise to detect such crimes.
“We have capable officers who have been clamping down on these illegal cars.
They can look at the chassis number and within seconds tell you if it has been
tampered with. Additionally, the Division deploys modern gadgets and
technologies to check the legal status of any of these cars upon suspicion,” he
said.
Remain vigilant
Commissioner Iddisah asked the general public to remain vigilant and visit the
nearest GRA office to check the status of vehicles before purchase. The
Division is also undertaking ongoing education about the public’s need to be
cautious of where such vehicle purchases are made.
“You don’t buy a car and hide it in your room; you want to drive the car around
and the Customs will occasionally stop you upon suspicions. It is therefore
important to know the status of your car,” the Commissioner said.
Collaborations
Commissioner Iddisah, disclosed that the Division is finalising processes to
begin collaboration with other Customs departments in Africa and the sub-region
to track the smuggling of these cars and other applicable goods.
Source: B&FT