Customs driver jailed for selling official vehicle

Wonder Ahiadzro, a driver of the Ghana Revenue Authority, Customs Division, who stole and sold a Toyota LandCruiser at the cost of GHC20,000, has been sentenced to 18 months imprisonment by the Kaneshie District Court.

The original price of the vehicle, property of GRA, Customs Division, is stated at GHC65.075.

Ahiadzro charged with stealing and forgery of documents, pleaded not guilty.

The Court presided over by Ms Ama Adomako Kwakye, however, found Ahiadzro guilty and sentenced him accordingly.

The convict sold the vehicle to one Pastor Solomon Fiabi of the lighthouse Chapel, who was charged with dishonestly receiving.

He was sentenced to a fine of GHC2, 400.

The Pastor pleaded guilty to the charge, saying Ahiadzro informed him that he bought the vehicle after it had been auctioned at his work place.

Prosecuting, Sergeant Apeweh Achana, said the complainant was the GRA and that Ahiadzro was a Custom Officer recruited as driver and stationed with Post Clearance Audit Unit.

Pastor Fiabi is a Minister of God and one of the pastors with Lighthouse Chapel also known as The Mega Church in Ghana.

Sergeant Achana said Ahiadzro used to be the driver in charge of Toyota land Cruiser (PRADO) with registration number GN 2904 Y.

Prosecution said during the first quarter of the year 2019, the convict allegedly fell sick and stopped coming to work.

He said in the month of August 2019, Ahiadzro came to GRA head office compound and drove the said Land Cruiser out.

The prosecution said the vehicle was not brought back to the GRA compound by the convict and that on September 17, 2019, Ahiadzro was invited to the office and questioned about the whereabouts of the vehicle and he denied knowing where the vehicle was.

Mr Achana said investigations revealed that Ahiadzro stole the vehicle from the GRA head Office and sold same to Pastor Fiabi at the cost of GHC20, 000 at Kasoa in the Central Region in August 2019. Sergeant Achana said Pastor Fiabi was traced to a Pastors Conference at Kasoa where he was asked to bring the vehicle to the Customs head office. Prosecution said Fiabi brought the vehicle and told investigators that Ahiadzro sold the vehicle to him and that he told him that the vehicle was auctioned to him from the office because it had an accident.

The prosecution said Ahiadzro said he told Fiabi that the payment of the vehicle was done in installment for three years.

He said Ahiadzro went ahead to forge documents of the vehicle such as the DVLA form C and the Customs declaration form.

According to the Prosecution, Ahiadzro also changed the vehicle registration number from GN 2904 Y to GE 8052 Z.

It said further checks at the DVLA office at 37 revealed that the documents prepared by Ahiadzro and given to Fiabi were forged.