Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) head Khurshid Sattaur says the body would want to “jail” its employees and businessmen who set out to rob the state of revenues through unscrupulous business activities.
Sattaur made the comment in response to a news report in the Suriname newspaper de Ware Tijd, which stated yesterday that two Customs officers and a civilian in that country allegedly tried to reroute and keep a container full of goods intended for Guyana.
The container was transported to Nickerie, but instead of being sent to Guyana, it was taken back to Paramaribo, perhaps with the intention of selling the goods there, the report stated.
According to the report, it is suspected that the scheme was hatched to avoid paying import levies, as these are not charged for transit transports to Guyana. The three are suspected of violating the Law on Economic Crimes and Forgery. This case was uncovered by the Customs Investigation Department, which later contacted the police to continue the investigation.
The container has been seized pending the outcome of the investigation.
Sattaur told Stabroek News that while he was not aware of the report, he was familiar with moves by businessmen in the neighbouring country, which can cost the state millions of dollars. He said that in the case reported by the newspaper, the container would have most likely appeared to have Guyana as its final destination.
He said shippers would collude with customs officers in the neighbouring country to reroute containers to parts of that country instead of moving them onwards here. As a result, Guyana would lose millions in taxes.
Stabroek News was told by a source that the shippers, most likely Guyanese operating out of Suriname, would then retail the goods in that country.
Sattaur said the GRA has implemented a plan in which businessman here are required to fill the required customs declaration forms when importing goods through Suriname. He said when the plan was put in place last August, there was an immediate impact, as the country gained as much as $100 million in revenue for that month, compared to the $10 million to $15 million which was being earned.
He said there are instances where “ghost” declaration forms would be created to give a certain impression as regards a shipment of goods.
It’s along these lines, he said the local customs officials and members of the business community here have been colluding to rob the state.
Stabroek News reported on Sunday that there are moves by the GRA to shuffle posts held by certain staff as the body is set to rehire former employees who were dismissed under the Bharrat Jagdeo administration.
However, a source told this newspaper that the move, which was met with opposition from high ranking officials within the revenue body, has been put on hold following the intervention of senior government officials.
Reports are that as of June 1, the GRA was expected to secure the services of the former staff members and they were expected be placed at certain positions in the semi-automous body to strengthen the functions and credibility of those departments.
This newspaper was told that the move was prompted by allegations of fraud and financial impropriety, which have been plaguing the organization.
A source stated that the duty-free scam, in which several persons are currently being investigated internally by the GRA and the police, fuelled the move which was initiated by a senior government official. However, there was subsequent disagreement.
