Government yesterday, Monday, December 14, 2009 declared war against the importation of stolen vehicles, indicating that culprits will be ruthlessly dealt with. This was after Mr James Agyenim Boateng, a Deputy Minister of Information, had inspected 20 of the 40 stolen cars impounded by National Security. Government, he said, was determined to institute adequate measures to rid the country of stolen vehicles, a situation that was tarnishing the image of Ghana to the outside world. “Government is not excited about the situation,” he said. The cars include a number of Toyota Corolla, Ford, BMW and Crysler saloon. In 2008, Ghana was rated a leading destination for stolen vehicles, especially from the Americas, with about 30 per cent arriving at the Tema port. Mr Agyenim-Boateng said INTERPOL has confirmed that the vehicles were stolen from the United States and some European countries. He said government would continue to empower the security agencies to clamp down on syndicates dealing in stolen cars, to make Ghana an unattractive destination for such crimes. He promised transparency in the handling of such vehicles, saying that the countries of origin would be informed for directives as to what to do with the vehicles. The Deputy Minister described reports of the stealing of confiscated Chrysler from the Tema port last week, as untrue, indicating that removal of the vehicle was authorized by the National Security. He explained that the vehicle, which had been confiscated to the State following the importer’s failure to clear it in line with port regulations, had a problem with the ignition system and had to be towed to the National Security premises in Accra. “While being towed to Accra, the handlers of the vehicle thought they could send it first to a garage to have the ignition problem solved but were unsuccessful,” he said. Mr Agyenim Boateng said it was unfortunate that during the process of trying to rectify the ignition problem, some people thought it was a stolen car of which the operatives were trying to change the colour. The vehicle, according to him, was currently parked at the premises of the National Security. Source: The Ghanaian Times/Ghana