Six customs officers had their services terminated last week after an investigation found them guilty of attempting to defraud the government of more than $20M in revenue.
The decision to terminate the services of the officers was taken when the Board of Directors of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) met last week. The officers were reportedly involved in a corrupt transaction involving a container of liquor. A senior source at the Guyana Revenue Authority told Kaieteur News that the decision to terminate the services of the customs officers should be seen as a strong message taken by the GRA to stamp out corruption.
“Some of these people feel they are untouchables, but we intend to send a strong message that we are totally against corruption,” the source said.
The source noted that in other countries, the actions of the customs officers in question would have warranted prosecution. He explained that the officers would receive their full benefits. The importers of the container of liquor are presently before the courts. This newspaper is awaiting the outcome of that case, since the magistrate before whom the case is being heard, is reported to have stated that a serious approach will be taken against them.
“We have a very strong case that these persons attempted to defraud the state,” the source said. Meanwhile, Kaieteur News understands that the Guyana Revenue Authority has installed special surveillance cameras to observe the operations of customs officials at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport.
The cameras reportedly feed images to the Office of the President, the Commissioner of Police and the GRA Commissioner General. This newspaper also understands that similar cameras will be installed at all the wharves within the next two weeks. The GRA has also established an internal affairs department that will investigate allegations of corruption against customs officers.