Alleged 17 Boxes of Gold Smuggling Saga at KIA: What we know so far

Some of the alleged gold boxes

NDC, police seize 17 boxes of gold at KIA

The Ghana Police Service intercepted 17 boxes of gold alleged to have been prepared for illegal transport to Dubai.

According to multiple reports, on December 17, 2024, at approximately 8:30 p.m., the police, together with some aggrieved members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), seized the said boxes of gold at the Aviance Kotoka International Airport.

Gold kept at police headquarters for safekeeping

The police, along with the NDC team, escorted the gold boxes to the Regional Police Headquarters in Greater Accra.

Bank of Ghana takes custody of alleged gold smuggling

According to a UTV news report on December 18, 2024, the authorities of the Ghana Police Service, together with the NDC team on December 18, 2024, met the leadership of the Bank of Ghana to hand over the boxes of gold for safekeeping pending further investigations.

“It was some NDC members who claimed to have intercepted 17 boxes of gold, so the gold was handed over to the police at the headquarters.

“The following day, the NDC members came to inspect the gold boxes and confirmed that the number given to the police for safekeeping was accurate. So, the leadership of the Bank of Ghana came, and the gold boxes have been handed over to them for safekeeping pending investigations in the next government tenure,” Bernard Ato Arthur, a UTV reporter, said.

Vehicle transporting gold identified as Precious Minerals Marketing Company van

The said gold boxes were in a blue van belonging to Precious Minerals Marketing Company, according to the UTV reporter.

Rumours

According to rumours, the gold forms part of the government’s gold-for-oil deal. The police are yet to identify how transparent the transport process was.