Ghana Highways Authority director, 22 others nabbed over axle load fraud

A Director at the Ghana Highways Authority (GHA) in charge of Road Safety, Mohammed Abdellah Billey together with 22 other suspects are in the custody of the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB) for allegedly conniving with haulage truck drivers to defraud the state of millions of cedis.

The suspects were reportedly picked up by NIB officials after thorough investigations conducted into their activities of tax evasion which had denied the state millions of cedis through-axle load fraud were exposed.

In a special operation conducted throughout the week, the NIB officials arrested the suspects before they stormed the office of the road safety director and confronted him with series of evidence including bank statements and Momo and he was also arrested.

Officials of the Special Monitoring and Surveillance Unit of the National Security revealed to the culprit how investigations they conducted indicated he purportedly undertook dubious transactions through his bank and mobile money accounts, excluding physical transactions.

Over GHC200,000 was tracked to his bank account as incoming transactions from the axle load fraud business he allegedly partakes.

It is estimated that Ghana loses about GH¢370,000 daily at the various nine Axle Load Weigh Stations due to tax evasion regime developed by some officials of the Ghana Highways Authority (GHA) and their assigned private agents at the various ports.

The information available to Oman news indicated that a private agents, who have been stationed at the Tema Port, are able to detect overloaded trucks and then confront them with the dubious tax evasion business.

The suspects are in the custody of the National Intelligence Bureau assisting with investigations.