Tax Evaders Threaten Flagstaff House

Presidential staffer, Dr. Clement Apaak, has called the bluff of the Importers and Exporters Association, over their threat to go to court if the Presidential Special Operations taskforce is not withdrawn.

Spokesperson of the taskforce, Dr. Clement Apaak, has accused the association of seeking to protect companies and individuals, who have conspired to defraud the State, an act he says, his office will not condone.

The Importers and Exporters Association of Ghana, has given the Government up to Friday to withdraw the taskforce or meet them in court.

The Executive Secretary, Sampson Asoki Awingobit, has accused the taskforce of unlawfully auctioning 19 containers of refrigerated items of its members and also entering into Top Industries Limited to conduct investigations without any court order.

According to Mr. Awingobit, the conduct of the taskforce only amounts to abuse of its mandate.

Speaking to Joy News, yesterday, Dr. Clement Apaak maintained that they operated within the law in the two instances cited by the Association.

“The case of Top Industries came as a result of intelligence…upon which investigations were conducted and it was determined that Top Industries was selling alcohol to another company [Excellence Industries Limited] which shouldn’t be the case,” he explained.

He said: “That was entirely work done by the CID [Criminal Investigations Department of the Police Service] in collaboration with Customs and the Special Operations Unit”.

“There is nothing to indicate that the Special Operations Unit has done anything untoward…The state cannot condone and or support or even entertain the use of associations to protect fraudsters and criminality,” he maintained.

Dr. Apaak, wondered why the Association would kick against their operation which has so far saved the nation millions of Cedis.

“We cannot understand, why an Association would want to seek the disbanding of a taskforce which is exposing criminality; which is exposing fraud; which is exposing conspiracy between unscrupulous public officials and companies, and their representatives to defraud the State”.