Council of State member fished out by Special Prosecutor for corruption, GH¢1.074 million recovered

An amount of GH¢1.074 million has been retrieved by the Office of the Special Prosecutor from a company belonging to a member of the Council of State.

The amount from Labianca Company Limited, a frozen foods company owned by Eunice Jacqueline Buah Asomah-Hinneh, represents a deficit in import duties paid to the state, graphiconline reports.

This was revealed by an investigative report from the Office of the Special Prosecutor dated August 3, 2022, and titled: “Report of Investigation into Alleged Commission of Corruption and Corruption Related Offences involving Labianca Group of Companies and the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority”.

According to the investigative report, Ms. Asomah-Hinneh used her position as a member of the Council of State and a member of the Board of Directors of the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) to influence a favourable decision from the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), leading to a reduction in the tax liabilities of Labianca Limited.

A Deputy Commissioner of Customs in charge of Operations, Joseph Adu Kyei, was cited by the OSP for issuing what it described as an unlawful customs advance ruling. This, according to the report, reduced the benchmark values of the goods imported by Labianca Limited, translating to reduced tax obligations of the company to the state.

“The OSP finds that there is strong evidence to suggest that Mr Kyei’s decision to issue a customs advance ruling for the applicant was procured through influence peddling or trading of influence by Ms Asomah-Hinneh by employing her position as a member of the Council of State and member of the Board of Directors of the GPHA,” the report signed by the Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng, stated.