A revenue officer at the Yilo Krobo Municipal Assembly in the Eastern Region, Mr Peter Boboyo, has been arrested for allegedly printing and issuing counterfeit revenue tickets to commercial tricycle operators in Somanya.
The officer reportedly sold the fake tickets in exchange for daily levies, diverting funds meant for the Assembly’s coffers.
The scheme came to light after operators noticed discrepancies in their receipts and raised concerns with authorities. Mr Rasheed Hussein, the Municipal Coordinating Director, subsequently reported the matter to the police, leading to Mr Boboyo’s arrest.
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Police sources confirmed that he admitted to printing and selling counterfeit tickets alongside official ones. He has since been granted bail pending further investigation.
The incident has sparked outrage among residents and transport operators, who condemned the act as indicative of entrenched corruption and weak oversight in local governance.
Speaking to the Ghana News Agency (GNA), some tricycle operators expressed frustration, stating: “This is taxpayers’ money and if those collecting the revenue are the same ones stealing it, how can the Assembly develop?”
Officials of the Assembly confirmed the case to GNA on November 12 and assured the public that disciplinary and administrative measures were underway to prevent similar incidents.
Mr Jacob Tetteh Ahuno, Assistant Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist at the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), highlighted corruption in district-level revenue collection as a major barrier to local development.
He cited the Auditor-General’s 2022 report, which revealed that 19 assemblies could not account for 250 missing General Counterfoil Receipt booklets valued at over GH¢196,000. Mr Ahuno called for digitised revenue systems, strict auditing, tougher sanctions, and public sensitisation to enable citizens to verify official receipts.
Police investigations into the matter are ongoing, with authorities indicating that further arrests could follow if other officers are found to be complicit.
