Customs Fraud Uncovered: 14 Range Rovers Falsely Declared as Peugeots to Evade Duties — Prof Ali-Nakyea Reveals

Customs Fraud Uncovered: 14 Range Rovers Falsely Declared as Peugeots to Evade Duties — Prof Ali-Nakyea Reveals

Associate Professor of Law at the University of Ghana, Prof Abdallah Ali-Nakyea, has exposed a glaring case of customs fraud involving the underhanded importation of 14 luxury Range Rover vehicles through the Takoradi Port, which were falsely declared as older-model Peugeot cars to evade the payment of appropriate import duties.

Delivering a public lecture in Accra on Thursday, June 26, under the theme “Hidden Riches, Hollow Laws”, the taxation expert recounted how the high-end vehicles — all 2016 models — were fraudulently misclassified as 2003 Peugeot vehicles, drastically reducing the customs valuation and duties payable.

“I found a publication in the papers, where somebody imported 14 2016 Range Rover vehicles through the Takoradi Port. None of the 14 Range Rovers was described as a Range Rover. They were described as Peugeots – and not even 2014 models, but 2003. That’s the basis on which the duties were paid,” Prof Ali-Nakyea stated.

The lecture, organised by the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), brought into sharp focus the scale of illicit financial flows (IFFs) and the systemic weaknesses within Ghana’s revenue enforcement architecture. Prof Ali-Nakyea noted that such acts not only constitute blatant fraud but also significantly drain national revenue.

Sharing his personal pursuit of the case, he recounted an encounter with the Defence Intelligence Unit at Burma Camp. “After I gave a lecture on this subject some time ago, I went to Burma Camp looking for the Defence Intelligence Unit. I said I needed to report something bordering on national security. The officer pulled out a drawer and brought out my presentation, saying, ‘We have it here – our people at the port are working on it.’”

He further described how the lecture struck a chord with senior military officers, one of whom corroborated the prevalence of such schemes.

“A general walked in and said, ‘This is the young man who gave the lecture.’ He told me, ‘You have a point. I met someone at Tema who offered to get me a Range Rover for $60,000. He said it was worth more, but not to worry – they could arrange it. Your lecture was right.’”

According to Prof Ali-Nakyea, the exposé prompted authorities to identify the importer involved and reassess the vehicles, ultimately recovering some of the lost revenue.

While acknowledging the efforts of state agencies in responding to the tipoff, he underscored the need for sustained institutional commitment in combating financial malfeasance at the country’s ports.

“If we can walk the talk, chase matters to the end, and get results, then we can do it,” he asserted.

The revelation reinforces ongoing calls for stricter monitoring mechanisms at Ghana’s ports and the digitisation of customs operations to enhance transparency, reduce leakages, and curtail the activities of smuggling syndicates that exploit regulatory loopholes to defraud the state.