A lot of Customs officers at the Tema Port have been transferred to various posts across the country following revelations from the Anas video tape that was released recently on corrupt practices at the place. Information available to DAILY GUIDE indicates that about 97 Customs officers so far have been affected by the mass transfer orchestrated by management of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA). However, a lot of officers have noted they are not happy about the manner in which the exercise was carried out. According to them, the exercise smacked of gross favouritism as management of GRA supposedly picked favourites to replace the transferred officers. They said personnel from the outstations, particularly those in the hinterland should have been given the opportunity to go and work at the Tema Port and not those who were already serving at recognizable places. Though DAILY GUIDE was able to reach Annie Anipa of the Public Relations Unit of GRA to comment on the transfers and offer more insights into the saga, she could not offer any assistance in that direction. It would be recalled that GRA on Wednesday announced via a press statement that it had interdicted some eleven Customs officers following their alleged involvement in corrupt practices and rot at the Tema Port. These staffers were captured on a video tape recently recorded by Anas Aremeyaw Anas, a private investigator, at their duty posts. The affected personnel are Ebenezer Kwakye, Chief Collector; Festus Adeko, Principal Collector; Simon Fugar, Senior Collector; Leonard Annan Prah, Collector; and Samuel Sobah, Assistant Collector. Others include Thomas Mpiani-Donkor, Collector, Tema; Sampson Okyere, Collection Assistant I; James Konibe, Collection Assistant I; Samuel Amiko, Collector; Athanasius Tettey, Collector; and Eric Danso, Junior Collection Assistant. Meanwhile, the Ghana Ports & Harbours Authority (GPHA) has also noted that it has interdicted some five security personnel who were identified on the video tape. The security people invlolved are Veronic Sam, Security Supervisor; Edem Kutsienyo, Assistant Security Supervisor; Mohammed Frimpong, Assistant Security Supervisor; James Agbozo, Senior Security Assistant and Frederick Asase, Security Assistant. In a release issued yesterday and signed by Nestor Percy Galley, Director-General, GPHA, the authority said the interdicted security personnel were first issued with queries on Wednesday, February 2, 2011. They were asked to explain their alleged misconduct as captured on the tape and upon a review of their responses by management; they were interdicted accordingly as per the conditions of service of the authority. "A seven-member committee of inquiry has been set up to investigate the alleged misconduct of the stall as captured on the tape to ascertain the respective roles played by them and make recommendations that would go a long way to curtail such malpractices. "The committee is to also to come out with any other appropriate recommendations for management's study," it mentioned. Source: Daily Guide