Thirteen containers of rosewood imported into the country from Nigeria have been handed over to the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB) for investigations.
Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abdulai Jinapor, said the investigations would unravel the individuals or groups responsible for the importation of the product into the country.
This came to light yesterday when the Minister led a team of officials from the Ministry, Forestry Commission and Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), to inspect the containers.
The Ministry on August 27 this year announced that it had impounded five containers shipped to the Tema Port suspected to be full of rosewood.
A further search with the consignee, port officials and the National Security revealed that 13 containers were full of the product.
The documentation showed that the rosewood was imported from Nigeria and the consignee was FELISCO-SUN Company Ltd.
The Ministry, per information available to it, stated that the containers were destined for Asia for processing, an act which would affect Ghana’s reputation.
Mr Jinapor stated that the confiscation was an indication that the government’s measures and strategies to forestall the harvesting and exporting of rosewood was working.
He said the Ministry’s preliminary information showed that there was a cartel operating in the importation of the commodity into Ghana from other African countries for shipment to Asia.
As a signee to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), he said, Ghana was not expected to be a source of rosewood trade.
The shipment of the 13 containers out of the country would have shamed Ghana as violating the terms of the convention was still trading in rosewood, he stated.
The Minister said the Ministry was considering other law enforcement proposals including seizure of vehicles transporting containers of rosewood to deter transport companies from supporting the illegal trade.
“I’m in consultations with the Ministry of the Interior and Attorney General to include the confiscation of vehicles transporting rosewood containers. We are going out with all options to enforce the ban on the harvesting and exporting of rosewood,” he added.
Mr Jinapor noted that trading of rosewood, be it its importation or exportation, had been banned and asked the public to volunteer information that would help the security agencies in clamping down on the menace.
FROM CLAUDE NYARKO ADAMS, TEMA