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Six Customs officers fired in bribery probe

Mar 17, 2012 News

 

The Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) has confirmed reports of Kaieteur News that a businessman paid over hundreds of thousands of dollars to Customs officers to have his container released.
GRA yesterday admitted that it has taken actions against the eight Customs officers with six of them being sent packing. Of the six, three were dismissed while the services of the other three were terminated.
One officer was suspended without pay for two weeks while another was transferred and demoted.
According to GRA yesterday, it has completed the investigation launched into allegations that monies were collected by a number of GRA staffers, for the release of a container, without the relevant and lawfully required taxes being paid.
“Contrary to previous reports which were carried in the media, the investigation stemmed from an allegation that a businessman had paid two million dollars ($2,000,000) as an incentive to GRA Officers for his tax liability to be reduced.”
The GRA said that after the allegations surfaced, a team was established to conduct an investigation into the matter. It was based on this that sanctions were handed down, following approval by the GRA’s Governing Board.
“The GRA reiterates that its mission is to promote compliance with Guyana’s Tax, Trade and Border Laws and Regulations and therefore, any staff within its ranks found to be in collusion with taxpayers to defraud the Authority or the State of Revenue will be dealt with accordingly.”
Kaieteur News had reported that a senior manager of the Intelligence and Internal Affairs Department, Ray Sukhnandan, fled Guyana after the scam came to light. It is not clear whether he was among the six listed as being sent home in the GRA statement.
This newspaper was also told that one of the Customs officers, who is a senior rank, spilled the beans after she was not satisfied with her cut.

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