Ghana Retrieved ?6 Billion from Indian Tax Evaders in 2014

Posted by Dharam Arora on September 19th, 2016

Sundeep Dhawan and his company had been through a rough patch of time for their alleged involvement in the infamous tax evasion case by the Ghana Government.  However, Sundeep Sonu Dhawanfinally put an end to this ordeal in May 2014 to get his name cleared. He along with this aide Anil Lakhiani of Top Industries paid off a whopping 6 billion old cedis to the Government treasury.

The amount paid to the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority had been worked out after adding 200% pecuniary penalty as well as the duty liability. The duty liability included Import VAT, import duty, Import NHIL, special import levy, the NET charges VAT and the Ghana Shippers Council SNF Fee. The breakup stood at GH¢399,383.72 on account of the pecuniary penalty cost and GH¢199, 691.86 in duty liability cost.

The case was of transporting 558 drums of alcohol from the factory into the warehouse without paying the taxes and so the action by the GRA.It must be noted that Top Industries is based in the Free Zone Enclave, Tema Industrial Area and is registered as a FreeZone company under the Free Zone Act, 1955, Act 504.

In the said case, Sundeep Sonu Dhawan is the Managing Director of XLNC Company and a businessman from India. His company imported alcohol into Ghana.  The facts of the case are that Anil Lakhiani was an Indian businessman and an official of the Top Industries. The company manufactures poly sack and rubber products. The process needs very little quantity of alcohol to dilute paints, which is further used in printing descriptions on the poly sacks.  The company imported Isopropyl Alcohol as raw material for this purpose. Now, since the company is located sin the free zone, it is entitled to import raw materials duty free. So, the alcohol was imported without the payment of duty. 

Intelligence however found out that Top Industries’ imports of alcohol was in high volume as compared to its overall production.  The company imported 6164 drums of Isopropyl Alcohol in 12 different consignments duty free. This alcohol was then sold in the open market, clearly flouting the law and not using the alcohol for the purported use. So, Anil Lakhiani was the primary accuse in this case.

Sundeep Dhawan of Excellence Industries is a wholesaler, bought this alcohol from Anil Lakhiani.  In all, he was charged for buying 460 drums of alcohol from Anil Lakhiani, the total value of which stood at 437000 cedis.

The two officials of Top industries and Excellence Limited, Anil Lakhiani and Sundeep Dhawan Sonu, respectively, who were finally granted bail in the matter by Human Rights Court, would reappear in Court today, May 12, 2014.However, since both Anil Lakhiani and Sundeep Sonu Dhawan paid the penalty in full, their names now stand clear in the case.