Government is turning on the heat on a long list of import duty-evading companies, who defrauded the state to the tune of 735million Ghana cedis.

The companies, both public and private as well as some ministries, have up to the end of November to cough up illegal monies, a presidential staffer has revealed.

A presidential task force headed by the Chief of Staff, Prosper Bani, uncovered the fraud in which companies connived with officials of the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority between 2005 and 2012 to escape payment of  huge import duties at bonded warehouses.

Some of the major culprits cited in the report are the United Steel Company Limited, Hippo Group of Companies, Eurofoods, Trusty Foods and Movelle Company Limited.  Others are B5 Plus Limited, CCTC Ghana Limited and Dry Food Company Limited.

Some state agencies such as the Electricity Company of Ghana, Tema Oil Refinery and the Ministry of Communications have also been implicated in the report.

Dr. Clement Apaak says companies, who pay back the monies will still face a penalty albeit less severe.

Defaulting companies will face prosecution and will be named and shamed in the media.

He said to promote greater transparency, government will open a special account at the Bank of Ghana to receive the monies and periodically publish the amount collected so far.

A former minister for the Interior during the Kufuor administration, Hackman Owusu Agyemang, lauded government for uncovering the fraud, which he said had been consistently going on for years.

Nonetheless, having two or three immigration officers to guard a bonded warehouse makes the system open to easy compromise.

He suggested that such warehouses be set up in a secluded area and beefed up with more officers.