Flagstaff house clears V8 cars at Tema port

• Posted on January 6, 2017
• by Nana Kwesi Coomson
• Comment

With just a day for a change in government, 41 brand new V8 engine Toyota Land Cruiser vehicles have arrived at the Tema Habour scheduled to be cleared by the outgoing Mahama-led National Democratic Congress (NDC) government.

The vehicles arrived at the Tema Habour four days ago, raising concerns about who may have imported them into the country at this time and for what purpose they were bought in.

Checks by DAILY GUIDE indicate that they were brought into the country by the outgoing NDC administration and a letter from the presidency, the Flagstaff House, had been issued for them to be cleared.

According to sources, Customs officers were confused as to whether the vehicles should be released or not since they are exempted from duty.

The officer in-charge at the Port with the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), Assistant Commissioner, Confidence Nyadzi, told DAILY GUIDE that he was acting on instructions from the outgoing government until there is a counter directive.

What is not clear is the final destination of these vehicles, except the fact that an ‘order from above’ has been issued for them to be cleared.

It is also not certain whether the acquisition and subsequent importation of these high-powered V8 vehicles were included in the handing over notes of the outgoing government to the Transition Team of the incoming administration.

But there are talks of some government officials trying to convert ownership of certain state vehicles in their names, including utility vehicles like four-wheel drives.

 By Charles Takyi-Boadu