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The Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) has recovered over 100 stolen luxury vehicles shipped under dubious means from foreign countries into Ghana.
The anti-graft body is investigating about 300 cases of suspected stolen vehicles in collaboration with Interpol, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).
Speaking in an exclusive interview with Graphic Online's Emmanuel Ebo Hawkson, the Head of Legal and Prosecutions of EOCO, Leo Antony Siamah, warned the public to be extra vigilant when buying vehicles, especially high-end ones, in order not to become accomplices in criminal enterprises.
However, despite EOCO’s increased efforts to recover stolen vehicles and combat such menace, he urged the public to scrutinise anyone or group of persons claiming to be from EOCO assigned to recover vehicles.
“Some unscrupulous persons are posing as officials from EOCO and seizing vehicles. The public must verify the identity of such persons before cooperating with them,” he said.
Explaining the modus operandi of the individuals involved in this business, Mr Siamah said mostly, the vehicles were stolen from their owners in the United States of America (USA) and Canada who had travelled, and then shipped into the country with forged documents.
“Initially, the owners are not aware of the theft because they might be out of their countries or states.
The cars find their way into Ghana through a complex criminal web, and by the time they are declared as stolen, they are already in the hands of innocent purchasers in Ghana,” he said.
According to him, although EOCO was working in collaboration with the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), port authorities and other security agencies to strengthen the verification mechanisms of such vehicles, the ultimate onus was on purchasers to ensure that they did not buy stolen goods.
“The law places a duty on individuals seeking to buy anything to go through the necessary due diligence before going ahead with the purchase.
If one fails to do the necessary checks before buying the car, he or she has no remedy under the law in the event of a legal action because there are innocent victims out there also waiting for their cars,” he said.
Mr Siamah mentioned some of the favoured car brands in such criminal enterprises as Mercedes-Benz, Bentley, Lexus, Rolls-Royce, BMW X7 and X8 series, Ford F150, Cadillac Escalade, Dodge Ram, and Honda CR-V.
Mr Siamah explained that there were many red flags during the due diligence process that should prompt a buyer to realise that a vehicle was stolen and, therefore, he or she should not go ahead with the purchase.
For instance, he said, any unusually low purchase price extremely below market value should raise suspicion, while the lack, incomplete or tainted documentation should also be flagged.
“Always verify the vehicle identification number (VIN) in multiple locations on the vehicle (dashboard, door jamb, engine compartment). Mismatched, altered or defaced VINs often indicate theft,” he added.
Again, the EOCO head of Legal said the history and certain information of a vehicle could be verified online on platforms such as Carfax, AutoCheck and the National Insurance Crime Bureau of the USA.
Another serious red flag, he pointed out, was the absence of the vehicle’s rear view mirror or if it had been tampered with, adding that “this is one of the places where the Global Positioning System (GPS) tracker is kept.”
“The ultimate verification is to either contact Interpol or EOCO to check the status of a vehicle before buying it. You can contact EOCO on 0547419419,” he added.
Mr Siamah debunked the assertion that EOCO’s investigations into stolen vehicles were arbitrary, explaining that the anti-graft body was only fulfilling its mandate under the law.
He said EOCO had increased its engagement with stakeholders in the car industry, especially car dealers and garage owners, to explain and educate them on the repercussions of dealing with stolen vehicles.
The Head of Legal, therefore, called for further collaboration from all stakeholders, including the public, to help EOCO deal with the menace.
“This issue creates a very bad image for Ghana as a hotbed for stolen vehicles. Apart from the international reputational damage, people who drive these cars, even if they bought them genuinely, are seen in a certain light, and this is not good,” he added.
Meanwhile, EOCO has intensified its efforts to recover proceeds of crime to make crimes under its mandate unattractive.
Under the Economic and Organised Crime Office Act, 2010 (Act 804), EOCO’s mandate involves the prevention and investigation of offences such as financial and economic loss to the state, money laundering, human trafficking, prohibited cyber activity, tax fraud and other serious offences.
EOCO also has the core mandate to recover proceeds of the crimes under its purview and also prosecute such offences under the authority of the Attorney-General.
Mr Siamah explained that the meaning of money laundering, as defined by law, also mandated EOCO to engage in lifestyle audits to investigate individuals whose assets were not commensurate with their income
“However, this is not easy due to the complex ownership structures of such assets, cross-border transactions and limited resources.
We, however, call on the public to collaborate with us to help us effectively discharge our mandate,” he added.
Ghana and West Africa in general have been flagged as a major destination for stolen vehicles from the USA, Canada and other Western countries.
In April this year, an operation led by Interpol in some West African countries led to the detection of 150 stolen luxury vehicles and the seizure of more than 75 vehicles.
The operation took place in Benin, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Mauritania, Nigeria, Niger and Togo.
