A Customs officer has appeared before the Adenta Circuit Court for allegedly extorting GH¢2,000 from a businessman at Terminal 3 of the Kotoka Intern
A Customs officer has appeared before the Adenta Circuit Court for allegedly extorting GH¢2,000 from a businessman at Terminal 3 of the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) in Accra.
The accused, Torgbe Agbeti Dordoe, 43, a Revenue Officer with the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) Customs Division, has been charged with extortion but has pleaded not guilty.
The court, presided over by Mrs Angela Attachie, granted the accused bail in the sum of GH¢10,000 with one surety to be justified. The case has been adjourned to January 21, 2026.
According to the prosecution, led by Chief Inspector Maxwell Lanyo, the complainant, whose name has been withheld, is a businessman residing at Airport West, Accra. He arrived in Ghana from Dubai on November 28, 2024, carrying two sets of Bose musical instruments.
During arrival formalities, Dordoe, who was on duty at the time, assessed the Customs duty at GH¢21,000, which the complainant paid and received an official receipt for.
The complainant later informed Dordoe that he had previously paid duty on the same items during an earlier trip to Ghana. Dordoe allegedly demanded an additional GH¢2,000 in cash as Customs duty but failed to issue a receipt for the payment.
When the complainant requested that the payment be verified in the Customs system and an official receipt issued, the accused reportedly ignored him. The businessman subsequently lodged a complaint at the Airport Police Station, leading to an invitation being sent to Dordoe for questioning.
Chief Inspector Lanyo said the accused informed the police that he was on duty and requested to report at a later date. On February 20, 2025, a letter was sent to the Officer in Charge of the GRA Customs Division at KIA seeking confirmation of the alleged incident and details of the duty collected by Dordoe, but no response was received.
A follow-up letter was later sent to the Customs Headquarters on April 4, 2025, requesting that the accused be released to assist with investigations, but again, there was no response.
On April 28, 2025, Dordoe was served with a criminal summons to appear before the court on May 12, 2025. He appeared on the scheduled date, was arrested, and subsequently charged.