Vehicle Dealers Union shifts blame to Customs Division over stolen cars

Following the recent crackdown on stolen vehicles, with over 100 US cars traced to Ghana, the Executive Secretary of the Vehicle and Assets Dealers Union of Ghana, Frank Atanley Kofigah, has absolved car dealers of responsibility, placing the burden on port authorities.

Mr Kofigah argued that the first line of defence in detecting stolen vehicles lies with the Customs Exercise and Preventive Services (CEPS) of the Ghana Revenue Authority, which is tasked with verifying and clearing all cars before they enter the local market.

“What we are saying is that the Customs Divisions of the Ghana Revenue Authority are the gatekeepers to ensure that these (stolen) vehicles do not even get into this country in the first place because the theft did not happen on our grounds; it happened in a different jurisdiction,” he argued on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show on Tuesday, August 26.

“If we are dealers here in Ghana and somebody calls me and says I have a Lamborghini for $150,000, there are two things that come to mind: it is a repairable vehicle or it is a relatively good deal on the street. What am I going to look for to ensure or to validate that this vehicle has gone through due process here in Ghana? What I know is that it has gone through the vigorous process through the Customs, Preventive, and National Security, and it has exited the port, for which reason I am okay to buy it. All I need is the Customs document that proves safe,” he explained.

He noted that vehicle importers have limited means to verify the authenticity of cars prior to clearance. “Until a week or two ago, we had no idea that INTERPOL has a platform that you can check your vehicle’s status on, or that EOCO has a front desk where you can submit your VIN of your vehicle to be verified. All we do is to do a VIN checker or run a car fact on it; basically, that is what we do.”

He emphasised that vehicle importers have limited means to verify the authenticity of cars prior to clearance.

“We as a Union cannot do that check; the only agency mandated with that oversight responsibility is the Customs; they have the system to check that these vehicles do not come into the country.”

Discussion about stolen cars is rife following the recent case involving popular musician Shatta Wale.

The dancehall star was detained in an investigation linked to the purchase of a Lamborghini Urus.

The vehicle was confiscated by local authorities following a request from US counterparts.

MyJoyOnline