Police will by close of this week put officials of five Ghanaian companies alleged to have evaded tax before court for prosecution.

This follows investigations by the special operations unit on tax evasion at the presidency.

The unit has so far retrieved more than one billion cedis from some companies engaged in the illegal act.

Police CID PRO ASP Joseph Benefo Darkwa told Joy news some of the cases are ready for prosecution.

"The police are investigated a number of companies which have evaded custom duties and tax.

"As I speak to you we have finished with investigations on some of these dockets which will be forwarded [to court] for prosecution.

"Nine more dockets have reached advance stages of investigations and will soon be sent to court.

"Meanwhile more dockets are being built and will be forwarded for prosecution," he confirmed.

The police have meanwhile refused to disclose the identities of the companies involved but Joy News checks indicate that over 280 public and private companies were involved.

In October 2013, the presidential taskforce began the investigation and said over $367 million was lost to the state as a result of the tax evasion by the companies.

The crime was committed over a seven year period, between 2005 and 2012 Joy News' Joseph Opoku Gakpo reported.

Government gave the companies involved a one month ultimatum to pay up but Joy News sources indicate that more than 1 billion cedis of the said amount has been retrieved.

The companies were also said to have paid some bribes to some custom officials who facilitated the crime.

Gakpo said the officials involved are also being investigated and are likely to be prosecuted.