Three Customs officers and a Berbice Anti-Smuggling Squad (BASS) senior monitoring officer are under investigation after they allegedly colluded with a prominent businessman to evade over $10 million in taxes on 250 boxes of cigarettes brought in from Suriname.
The ranks have been suspended from duty as investigations continue, a Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) source told Stabroek News. This newspaper was told that on November 5, the officers allowed 250 boxes of cigarettes destined for a prominent Berbice businessman to enter Guyana but the relevant taxes were not paid.
The duty, excise taxes and VAT for the shipment amounted to over $10M, the source said.
Acting on information received, an investigation was launched and the four officers were questioned by police at the Brickdam police station.
On November 18, they were each placed on $50,000 bail. They were also suspended from duty pending further investigations.
The source said that the Head of the Customs branch as well as two GRA lawyers had travelled to Suriname and met with their counterparts on the issue.
A report is being prepared and it is likely that the officers will face charges, Stabroek News was told.
