Customs Officer denies GH₵2,000 extortion allegation, demands GH₵5m compensation in counterclaim

A Revenue Officer with the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), Torgbe Agbeti Dordoe, has vehemently denied allegations that he extorted GH₵2,000 from a businessman at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA), describing the claims as false and defamatory.

The case, currently before the Adentan Circuit Court, was filed by Horgli Wise Roland, who accused Officer Dordoe of unlawfully collecting the amount during a travel encounter in November 2024 without issuing a receipt.

According to court filings, Mr. Roland returned to Ghana from Dubai on February 15, 2025, carrying two sets of BOSE musical instruments.
He was reportedly attended to by Officer Dordoe, who assessed customs duty at GH₵21,000, which the complainant paid and received an official GRA receipt.

However, Mr. Roland told the court that during a previous trip on November 28, 2024, the same officer allegedly demanded GH₵2,000 as duty payment without providing a receipt — a claim he later cited as evidence of extortion.

In his witness statement, Officer Dordoe categorically denied the allegations, calling them “frivolous, baseless and deliberately filed to embarrass and intimidate” him for performing his duties lawfully.

Dordoe further claimed the complainant threatened to use political influence to have him interdicted and dismissed, insisting that the accusations were part of a personal vendetta.

The officer noted that he has served 17 years with the Customs Division, maintaining an unblemished record and earning recognition as Best Revenue Detective at KIA in 2019, a testament, he said, to his professionalism and honesty.

Counterclaims

Officer Dordoe has filed a counterclaim seeking judicial redress and reputation restoration. He is asking the court to:

Declare that the complainant’s allegations and publications are defamatory;

Award GH₵5,000,000 in damages for defamation;

Grant a perpetual injunction restraining the complainant from making further defamatory statements; and

Order a public retraction and unqualified apology from the complainant.

The Adentan Circuit Court is expected to hear both parties’ testimonies in the coming sessions as it determines whether the complaint amounts to criminal extortion or civil defamation.