Ganta, Nimba County – The president of the National Customs Broker Association of Liberia [NCBAL] has accused several top security agencies of interfering into their operations at various borders points across the country.
Report by Franklin Doloquee, FPA Nimba Contributor
Mr. Ivan Tumbey named those security agencies allegedly involved with said act, including the Executive Protection Services (EPS), the Liberia Drugs Enforcement Agency (
The NCBAL head lamented that daily those agencies are seen around them at those border points of entry interfering into their works.
He then called on authorities of those agencies to allow customs workers to do their work freely without their interferences.
The customs brokers’ president made the statement over the weekend during the 67th International Customs Day celebration in Ganta, Nimba County. The day was celebrated under the theme, ‘Smart Borders for Seamless Trade, Travel and Transport.’’ It brought together customs workers from across the country including their counterparts from Guinea and the BIN, Police, DEA and Fire Services. They marched through the principle street of Ganta.
Speaking further the NCBAL president disclosed that effective operations of smart border requires the cooperation of other agencies, which he said play a role in trade facilitation, to join their efforts for the simplification, standardization and harmonization of border procedures.
According to him, doing so requires coordination in border management among border agencies and collaboration with the private sector in the framework of customs to trade partnership.
Tumbey further stated that smart border is a call to duty for customs administration to partner with other government agencies and economic operators of the private sector in pursing the common objective of enhancing supply-chain security and efficiency based on mutual trust and transparency.
He disclosed that the Customs Department of the Liberia Revenue Authority, has already introduced a compliant trade program for over 30 businesses in Liberia.
The NCBAL president praised the Commissioner General for championing a new security program in customs aimed at building the capabilities of customs to effectively combat smuggling, prevent commercial fraud and illicit trade.
LRA Commissioner-General Thomas Doe Nah has embarked on a mission to build a program of mutual trust and transparency between trade and customs in the framework of authorized economic operators.
CG Nah urged workers of his institution not to have the believe of using the work to get rich over night and they should stop compromising their duties due to the influence of others who are in government and other agencies but the real tax should be provided to business people rather them the importers either the business people to pay more money.
The Commissioner General also disclosed that the increase of fake checkpoints on various roads in the country is creating problem for businesspeople, including importers.
According to CG Nah, when customs workers complete their work with those importers and business people there should be no problem for them to face on the high-ways.
Our Nimba County Contributor said those top security agencies accused by the customs brokers president refused to comment on the allegation levied against them.