Ishmail Kamara Supervisor for Gbalamuya Customs Posts, said an examination exercise was done in one of the unit truck with Registration Number: RC-5915-N on the 15th of January, 2016 and discovered that s truck was loaded with 3,302 Brewer Strongest from the Republic of Guinea for sale after going through the necessary financial procedures. litter
Ismail Kamara noted that after the examination was conducted at Gbalamuya Custom Post they discovered that 1,542 cases x 50cl x8%acl vol, and 1,760 cases x 33cl x 5% acl. Vol. have already reached its expiring date adding that there were other expired goods found in the truck such as chocolate powder, Tomato Ketchup, Mega Shake drink and Maggi season cube.
Giving his own side, the House Station manager at Gbalamuya Customs post, Sahr Philip Lahai said the expired goods were own by Lyon Cooperation a Private Company known for importing goods into Sierra Leone noting that some of the expiring goods date was detected through the invoice that was sent to them by the Guinean Customs officials at Gbalamuya Custom post.
He lamented that the expired goods cost over US$ 10,000 which he said could have been a very big revenue generation for the government.
According to the National Revenue Authority’s Corporate Affairs Manager, Mohamed Bangura, the destruction of the expired goods does not only send warning to importers but even public officials who are in the albeit of condoling people to bring expired goods in the country as there is penalty for anybody found guilty , and also informed the public of Authority mandate, which is to generate revenue for government and also protect the society against harmful importation of expired goods.
The expired goods were destroyed in the presence of military personnel, police officers, government officials , importers and journalists from Kambia and Freetown.
