IPNews-Monrovia-Liberia-Tuesday- 5 February 2019:The Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA) through its Customs Department at the Roberts International Airport have busted a scheme to defraud the government of Liberia of needed revenue in the tone of two million United States dollars by a Lebanese national identified as Hassan Aidibi.
According to Acting Commissioner General of the Liberia Revenue Authority-LRA, Dekontee King-Sackie, at press conference held on Monday, February 4, 2019, at the LRA headquarter, explained that Mr. Hassan Aidibe was arrested while attempting to board the Royal Air Maroc flight at about 2 a.m. Monday morning with a briefcase containing the two million dollars valued gold.
She told reporters that preliminary documents retrieved from Mr. Aidibe, indicates that Aidibe was transporting the gold on behalf of ‘Gold Business Center’, a duly registered company under Liberian laws and licensed by the Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME) since January 24, 2017, with an expiration date on June 26, 2019.
Madam Sackie, said the transporter processed a Customs Declaration at the Ministry of Mines and Energy for 97.94 ounces of gold at a current market value of US$95,876 and made a 3 percent royalty payment of US$2,876 into the General Revenue Account.
She added that anti-smuggling investigators of the LRA found out that the actual gold being exported by Mr. Aidibi was 56 kilograms or 1,900 ounces of gold valued at over US$2 million. The royalty (revenue) on the product under seizure is estimated at over US$50,000.
“This discovery is believed to be one of many transactions involving multiple foreign and Liberian-owned businesses,”
“We have realized that this scheme of tax evasion by multiple businesses is estimated at over US$200,000 monthly – an amount sufficient to service the payroll for at least 1000 police officers or healthcare workers across the country.”
“The preliminary analysis by our anti-smuggling investigation team suggests that such a scheme can only be successfully executed with the involvement and assistance of individuals from multiple border agencies and the airline,” Sackie cautioned.
The Acting Commissioner stated that the consignment of gold has been transferred to the Liberian National Police for further investigation.