OSP investigates GH¢25.8m palm oil diversion linked to transit abuse involving Customs, National Security operatives, clearing agents
The Office of the Special Prosecutor has opened an investigation into the suspected diversion of 50 twenty-foot containers of palm oil, valued at GH¢25.8 million, into the local market without the payment of duties and taxes.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, February 24, 2026, the Office said the consignment had been declared as goods in transit to Burkina Faso but was diverted and sold in Ghana. It estimated a loss of about GH¢10.5 million in tax revenue.
Preliminary findings point to the involvement of some Customs officers, National Security operatives and clearing agents in what the Office described as a coordinated corrupt scheme.
The probe follows an intelligence-led operation carried out in November 2025.
The Office has not named any suspects. It said work is ongoing to establish individual roles and determine possible criminal liability.
“The Office remains committed to protecting the public purse and upholding integrity as the process continues,” the statement said.
The palm oil case forms part of a wider problem involving abuse of Ghana’s transit trade regime, which allows goods bound for landlocked countries to pass through without paying import duties.
In recent weeks, security agencies and the Ghana Revenue Authority have intercepted several consignments, including cooking oil and tomato paste, which were declared as transit cargo but allegedly diverted into the local market. Some articulated trucks were found operating without the required customs escorts, raising concerns about collusion between importers and state officials.
Audits of seized consignments have also revealed discrepancies in declared values, weights and tariff classifications, with potential tax liabilities running into tens of millions of cedis.
Subsequently, the Ministry of Finance imposed restrictions on the transit of cooking oil across land. The directive requires such products to enter and exit Ghana through designated seaports to allow closer monitoring and reduce diversion.
