Serious concerns and allegations of systemic revenue leakage, procedural breaches and corrupt practices have emerged regarding the management of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) under the leadership of Commissioner-General Anthony Kwasi Sarpong.
Stakeholders and anti-corruption advocates are calling on President John Dramani Mahama and the Chief of Staff to take immediate investigative action to protect state revenues and restore public trust in the institution.
At the centre of the allegations is an auction scheme involving more than 700 containers of imported goods manifested as “in-transit” cargo. Standard customs procedures require such goods to undergo detailed inspection and be transferred to designated off-dock private terminals, such as Kilimanjaro, Overseas, Atlas and Amari, which operate in conjunction with the main port.
However, internal sources claim that leadership within the GRA intentionally frustrated these transfers, allowing the containers to remain at the port until they were classified as overstayed goods.
According to the allegations, fraudulent bills of lading were subsequently generated to enable specific, pre-arranged individuals with questionable credentials to claim ownership of the consignments.
Rather than enforcing the full tax liabilities on the affected containers, senior GRA officials allegedly facilitated a rigged auction to these proxy owners at drastically reduced prices.
The process reportedly resulted in the evasion of millions of Ghana cedis in potential state tax revenue. It has also been alleged that Commissioner-General Anthony Kwasi Sarpong has taken over responsibility for auction-related duties.
Critics contend that the scheme was carried out with the direct involvement of key port officials, including the Tema Sector Commander, Mr Nelson, who is alleged to have cooperated in exerting pressure on subordinate customs officers to approve the heavily discounted auctions.
Observers have suggested that the push to extend Mr Nelson’s stay at the Tema Port beyond his scheduled retirement date of August 3, 2026, may be intended to maintain operational control over port procedures.
Further allegations extend beyond port auctions to the downstream petroleum sector. Reports indicate that the Commissioner-General allegedly granted self-recognisance status to six Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs), enabling them to lift petroleum products without complying with mandatory cash-and-carry financial guarantee requirements.
The six OMCs have reportedly defaulted, leaving significant debts unpaid.
Self-recognisance status in Ghana’s petroleum trading industry is understood to be reserved for OMCs that have demonstrated long-term credibility, a strong record of meeting their tax obligations to the GRA, and a minimal risk of default.
However, the companies in question reportedly had no credible credit history with the GRA and were considered high-risk accounts. Despite this, the Commissioner-General allegedly disregarded the basic requirements and granted them self-recognisance status, after which they reportedly defaulted.
It is further alleged that a 10% kickback, calculated on the required bond amount, was exchanged in return for the self-recognisance status.
Alleged Breach of ERDMS
ERDMS, or Enterprise Relational Database Management System, is the petroleum trading platform used by the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) to facilitate and manage petroleum trading processes.
Allegations suggest that financial inducements were involved in granting the exceptions, with internal text messages and audio communications reportedly being cited as evidence.
Anti-corruption advocates emphasise that, while frequent media engagements have presented an image of reform and improved performance at the GRA, the alleged operational practices point to continued revenue losses.
Civil society groups argue that demonstrating a genuine commitment to transparency requires a comprehensive investigation into the customs and petroleum operations, as well as an immediate review of leadership and operational practices at the Ghana Revenue Authority.
