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Clearing agent, 44 in court for duping state of GH¢16.4m
A 44-year-old clearing agent, Francis Yaw Terrison is facing trial at an Accra High Court for allegedly duping the state of an amount of GH¢16,369,908.10.
The accused, a Freight Forwarder and the Chief Executive Officer of GATAFX Logistics Limited, a clearing agent company, who operated at the Kotoka International Airport in Accra, is said to have forged Customs Excise Duty Documents and GCB receipts between 2014 and 2019 to defraud the state of the amount.
Mr Terrison is facing three counts of falsification, alteration and forgery of official documents, fraudulently evading customs duties and money laundering.
The facts of the case read in court indicated that the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) in recent times had not been meeting its revenue targets and thus, the Intelligence Unit of the GRA decided to conduct thorough audit into transactions of some key freight forwards whose tax returns looked suspicious.
The court heard that the GRA zoomed on the accused person’s company GATFAX Logistics Limited and discovered that, the accused person’s company had from 2014 to 2019 suppressed customs excise duties to the tune of GH¢16, 369,908.10 for products his company cleared for Max International, a pharmaceutical company based in the United States of America.
The prosecution said as part of investigations, the Intelligence Unit of the GRA on January 1, 2020, wrote to Max International Company, the importer and GATFAX Logistics Limited, the clearing agency and obtained the import documents from 2017 to 2019.
The court heard that when the import documents were scrutinised, it was detected that, the accused person’s company between 2014 and 2019 under declared to Customs the required duty amount which was to be paid to the state, and paid a lesser amount.
The prosecution explained that on the contrary, the accused after paying a lesser amount, then scans the paid duty documents that he had generated from Customs and inserted or doctored the right duty figures which were supposed to have been paid to the state to make it reflect as the amount paid and used the forged receipts and documents to bill the importer, Max International and unduly benefitted from the suppressed amount differences.
The court heard that during interrogation and in his caution statement, the accused admitted the offence and narrated how he manipulated the system.
The prosecution told the court that the accused said he used proceeds realised from the deal to buy six plots of land at different locations at Oyarifa and Ayi-Mensa, both suburbs of Accra.
The court further heard that the accused used some of the monies to put up three separate storey-buildings on three of the plots.
BY TIMES REPORTER
President John Dramani Mahama has cautioned that the rapid growth of Artificial Intelligence (AI) could worsen the spread of misinformation across the world if not managed responsibly.
Speaking at the International Conference on Information Integrity in Paris, the President said AI tools such as deepfakes and synthetic media are increasingly being used to manipulate information and distort public perception.
He warned that the misuse of AI poses a serious threat to democracy, public health, and global stability, adding that protecting information integrity must be treated with the same urgency as national security and economic development.
“We are back to win the global war against misinformation and disinformation. Disinformation is not an abstract issue, it shapes elections, distorts public health responses, fuels conflict, and undermines the fight against climate change,” he pointed out.
President Mahama said false information continues to erode public confidence in science and government policy, even a decade after the signing of the Paris Climate Accord.
He noted that while AI presents huge opportunities for innovation and growth, it must be used responsibly to ensure that technological progress builds, rather than destroys, public trust.
“Our collective task must be to harness AI responsibly, promote transparency, and ensure that technology strengthens, not weakens, our societies,” he said.
The conference brought together world leaders, media experts, and technology innovators to discuss ways to protect information integrity and strengthen democracy in the digital age.
By: Jacob Aggrey
The Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) has announced a city-wide clean-up exercise scheduled for Saturday, November 1, 2025, as part of efforts to promote cleanliness and public health in the metropolis.
The exercise, which starts at 6:00 a.m., forms part of the government’s vision to undertake monthly nationwide clean-up activities.
It is expected to bring together residents, traders, and transport operators to help make Kumasi cleaner and more environmentally friendly.
According to the Assembly, the clean-up will focus on key parts of the Central Business District and surrounding areas.
The operational zones include Zoo Roundabout through Pampaso to Otumfuo Roundabout, Otumfuo Roundabout through Acheamfour Market, MTN Roundabout to St. Louis College, Otumfuo Roundabout to Dr. Mensah, Boss FM through Central Market, Asafo Interchange, and Asafo Market stretch, as well as Roman Hill Down through Aboabo Station to Alabar.
During the exercise, all trading activities and vehicular movement within these areas will be suspended to ensure smooth operations.
The KMA urged all traders, commercial drivers, and residents to comply with the directive and actively take part in cleaning their surroundings.
The Assembly announced that if traders and shop owners participate fully, the exercise will end at 11:00 a.m.
However, those who fail to take part will have their shops and trading activities remain closed until 2:00 p.m.
By: Jacob Aggrey
