Myjoyonline.com can confirm that the two vintage Mercedes Benz cars said to cost $3.2 million and smuggled into the country, belongs to a prominent Accra-based businessman.

The businessman, name withheld, for now, bought the cars from Stuttgart in Germany, it has emerged.

The businessman is claiming an agent contracted to ship the vehicles to Ghana, rather smuggled them into the country through an unapproved route at Ghana’s southern town of Aflao in the Volta Region without the required customs documents.

The luxurious vehicles; Mercedes Benz 300 SL, (white colour) which costs about $1.8 million and Mercedes Benz 190 SL, black [$1.4 million], did not have the required documentation covering their importation into the country.

They were subsequently dumped at the official residence of the MCE in preparation to be towed to Accra before they were accosted by GRA officials led by Aflao Sector Commander, Frank Ashong on the night of January 10, 2018.

Read: Myjoyonline Exclusive: National Security seizes $3.2m luxury cars at MCE's house

The South Municipal Chief Executive, Elliot Edem Agbenorwu whose official residence the vehicles were kept, told JoyNews TV the smugglers forced their way into the place and hid the two luxurious Mercedes Benz vehicles without custom documents.

According to him, the official residence is still under renovation and he is yet to move in. He could not explain how the smugglers had access to the residence only to park the vehicles there.

He said he was furious about the incident after which he called Aflao sector of the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), and reported the matter following which the vehicles were impounded.

He also does not suspect anybody. 

Read: Luxury cars: Smugglers forcibly entered my house with cars – MCE

Lawyers for the businessman are claiming they petitioned the Customs Division after the vehicles were impounded in Aflao but they are yet to receive a response from the authorities concerned.

The businessman in question also claimed to have followed up with a meeting with the Aflao Sector Commander, but the Commander, Frank Ashong has denied the claim, saying “no one has showed up” for a discussion about the cars in question.

Meanwhile, there are indications that the owner intends to fight every attempt to auction the vehicles locally but would rather prefer they are shipped back to the originating country if authorities refused to release them to him. 

He also denies the claim that he told security personnel one of the vehicles was to be given to President Akufo-Addo when he was interrogated.

The vehicles are currently being held by the National Security as investigations continue.

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