The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for the Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communication (GIFEC), Dr. Rashid Tanko Computer, has shed new light on the high-profile gold bar seizure at Sapeiman, revealing that not all intercepted gold bars were counterfeit.
Contrary to earlier reports, Dr. Tanko Computer suggests that some of the seized gold bars were genuine, and the operation uncovered a sophisticated money laundering scheme.
Speaking on Channel 1 TV’s Breakfast Show, Dr. Tanko Computer explained that the perpetrators used fake gold bars as a smokescreen to camouflage their illicit activities, which have been ongoing for eight years.
“In Japka’s matter at Sapeiman, those doing money laundering, if I tell you their modus operandi, you will be shocked. They camouflage it with the thing being fake, but they have the other one. They use the fake ones to bamboozle Ghanaians, and they get away with what they are doing and destroy our economy,” he claimed.
Dr. Tanko Computer further disclosed that the individuals involved had mastered the art of deception, using the fake gold bars to deceive Ghanaians while secretly profiting from the genuine ones.
“When we caught them with the first one and the second one, yes, some of them were fake, but not all of them were. They have the other ones. I tell you, these people did this thing for eight years, only God knows, and we are now taking time to clean up the system to make sure that we reset the country on the right path,” he said.
The GIFEC CEO also highlighted concerns about the abuse of gold trading licenses, stating that all licenses have been revoked and will be reissued under the oversight of a new regulatory body, GoldBod.
“If you look at the way the Act is carved, you cannot engage in any gold trade without a license so you have to come and renew it with the GoldBod. All licenses stand revoked at the moment. And I know my people, they will come and do a press conference very soon. Because they have given out a lot of illegal licenses behind the scene for them to do all manner of trading,” he said.
On the issue of illegal mining, Dr. Tanko Computer supported the Interior Minister’s call for the deportation of foreigners involved, but advocated for a more rehabilitative approach for Ghanaians.
“As for those people, we will just bus them away. For our people here, we will try to reform them because, after all, we are all Ghanaians,” he stated.
