Valuation officer at (CTSB) the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), RO Isaac Nyamekye, says vehicles seized by Customs are not immediately available for public auction, as importers still have the opportunity to redeem them by fulfilling the necessary requirements and paying the applicable duties.
Speaking to Isaac Addae on Morning Starr on Starr FM, Mr Nyamekye explained that a seized vehicle remains available to the importer until it becomes due for disposal.
“When a vehicle is seized, it is still not out yet for public consumption. It still remains open to the importer to do the necessary requirements by paying duties for him to come for his car,” he said.
Mr Nyamekye said Customs has three main forms of disposal for seized consignments: allocation, auction, or destruction.
“We need to wait until the vehicle is due for disposal. And we have three main forms of disposal in Customs. That’s allocation, auction, or destruction, like destroying of the consignment,” he said.
He stressed that a seized vehicle cannot be offered to the public until it has gone through the required seizure process and has been gazetted for possible auction.
“So until this vehicle has gone through seizure for future and is now gazetted for possible auction, you cannot come in for the car,” he said.
Mr Nyamekye said the importer still has the opportunity to redeem the vehicle before it is gazetted and published for auction.
“There still remains a car for the importer to take advantage of redeeming his car,” he said.
However, once the vehicle is gazetted and published for auction, interested individuals can participate in the bidding process.
“But as soon as it is gazetted and published for auction, that is when the individual can also show up for bidding,” he added.
He said Customs usually publishes the date and venue of the auction when the vehicles are put up for bidding.
“So mostly when you publish, we let you know the day for auction and the venue as well for the auction,” he said.
Source: Starrfm.com.gh/Pamela Quayson
