GRA denies extortion claims over GH‵807.68 customs duty at Kotoka airport

The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has officially dismissed allegations of extortion made against Customs officers stationed at Kotoka International Airport (KIA). The response follows reports concerning a GH‵807.68 duty payment assessed on the luggage of a passenger, identified as Ms. Gifty Osei Bonsu. While the passenger initially raised concerns about the handling of the transaction, the GRA clarified that the incident was the result of technical challenges rather than staff misconduct or corruption.

According to the Authority, the duty was properly assessed after Ms. Bonsu’s luggage was inspected upon arrival. The GRA explained that at the time of the transaction, a system downtime hindered the Customs officers from issuing an official receipt immediately after payment. During this period, Ms. Bonsu and a friend provided the funds to cover the required duty. Despite the lack of an instant receipt, the GRA maintains that the officers followed standard assessment procedures under the difficult circumstances created by the network failure.

The Authority confirmed through its internal records that the full amount of GH‵807.68 was successfully credited to the state revenue account on the same day the payment was made. This evidence, the GRA notes, refutes any claims that the money was pocketed by individual officers or misappropriated. The delay in providing documentation to the passenger was solely attributed to the temporary failure of the electronic processing system used at the airport terminal.

In a statement addressing the matter, the GRA apologized to Ms. Gifty Osei Bonsu for the frustration and inconvenience caused by the lack of immediate documentation during the system failure. To prevent similar incidents and maintain public trust, the GRA announced it is currently reviewing its operational procedures. These reforms aim to ensure that contingency measures are in place to handle payments and documentation effectively whenever the digital systems experience downtime in the future.