African Parliamentarian Network Against Corruption says it doubts government’s commitment to retrieve the over 700 million Ghana cedis the state lost due to fraudulent transactions at bonded warehouses.

A presidential task force has revealed that importers compromised customs officials and cleared goods from bonded warehouses without paying any duties to the state.

Government has given the companies involved in the alleged fraud up to November ending to pay the money or face sanctions.

But the Executive Director of the African Parliamentarians Network Against Corruption, Daniel Batidam says governments have lost the power to deal with private businesses because of conflict of interest, and other deals politicians have with the businesses.

“I am even more sceptical about the ability and commitment of government to follow through some of these threats.

“One thing about corruption is that if you want to tackle corruption, you must have a deterrent to it: that means that when you say people would be punished for any corrupt act, the people involved must be certain that that punishment will come. So far, unfortunately, our track record does not show that we have followed through these threats.”

Meanwhile, Vice President of IMANI Ghana, Kofi Bentil says though it is good to sanction the companies involved in order to deter others, it is more important to focus on how to retrieve the money.

“Our first effort should go towards getting the money instead of just prosecuting people.”