Importers in Sierra Leone are reported to be crying foul over high container scanning fees and alleged corruption among customs officials. Their outcry comes amid a visit by President Ernest Bai Koroma to Queen Elizabeth II Quay.
An executive member of the Sierra Leone Importers Association who requested anonymity was quoted as saying, "This pressure has made customs officials very powerful. They have resorted to asking for exorbitant amounts on the grounds that government wants more money to run the affairs of the state," reports The Concord Times in Freetown.
"We are not supposed to be paying US$235 before Intertek could scan our containers. That is the highest fee ever charged on scanning the world over. In the UK it is GBP10, USA and Canada it is US$10," he said.
Earlier this week, the country's president informed officials from both the Sierra Leone ports authority (SLPA) and the National Revenue Authority (NRA) during a visit to Queen Elizabeth II Quay that "much was expected from them", a comment the newspaper said was not in the importers' interests.
The Sierra Leone importers association claims government pressure on the SLPA and NRA that are responsible for generating and collecting revenue "has left them at the mercy of insensitive tax collectors".
The unidentified executive member of the Sierra Leone Importers Association said that it was recently uncovered that some officials, under the directives of top customs personnel, had been exploiting importers.
The country's president, Ernest Bai Koroma, for his part, says the revenue generated by these types of government bodies is intended to help alleviate the sufferings of the ordinary man, especially "if they chose to conduct their activities transparently by avoiding delays, controlling smuggling, not asking for kick-backs and concentrating on income-generation for the general good", the report said.
However, President Koroma has vowed to crack down on bribery, saying he would "find ways of ascertaining whether officials' claims of being corrupt-free are true."
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