An Assistant Collector of Tax of the Customs Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS), who exhibited gross disrespect before the committee probing the CEPS, was last Monday committed to stand trial at a law court for perjury. Mr George Dadson, the officer, who appeared before the committee last week, attempted to mislead the committee by not presenting the truth. He told the committee that as an officer in charge of verification of vehicle documents, he did not know a police officer with whom he had worked on more than three occasions. Although he also told the committee that a vehicle which was under investigation by the police officer had been genuinely cleared from the Tema Harbour, it later turned out that the documents covering the vehicle, which was imported from the United States, were forged. In spite of the evidence of lying, Dadson did not show any remorse and instead resorted to threats against newsmen who carried the story when the chairman of the committee admonished him last week to be of good behaviour as a customs officer. When he was asked to show why he should not be charged for perjury and whether he would show remorse and apologise, he exhibited even more insolence towards the committee. He said he did not make his position clearer the last time he appeared before the committee which was why the committee did not understand him and asked to be given the chance to explain himself further. When given the opportunity, Mr Dadson repeated what he had said last week, pointing out that as he dealt with a lot of people who went to verify their vehicle documents, he was not in the position to strike any acquaintances. When asked about the complimentary card he gave to the policeman, he retorted that complimentary cards were meant to be given out to whoever cared for one and not necessarily for acquaintances. The Chairman of the committee, Mr. Justice S. G. Baddoo, who could not contain any more of the rudeness of the customs officer, called in the investigator attached to the committee to take a statement from him on the basis of what he told the committee and charge him before court for perjury. Two witnesses from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) and the Ghana Community Network (GCN) also appeared before the committee to inform it of the constraints in computerising the DVLA in order to eliminate the 'goro boys' (middlemen) from the system. The 'goro boys' are said to be a big drain on the economy because of their forging of car registration documents. Source: Daily Graphic