The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) says it has intercepted and seized more than 130 vehicles suspected to have been cloned or registered through duty evasion after introducing new vehicle inspection technology.
According to the DVLA, the technology forms part of its wider digital transformation programme aimed at improving vehicle registration, strengthening transparency and eliminating fraud within the system.
Speaking in an exclusive interview on Friday, July 24, the Chief Executive Officer of the DVLA, Julius Neequaye Kotey, said the Authority is implementing several digital initiatives to modernise its operations rather than relying on a single reform.
He explained that one of the major innovations is the deployment of cloning detection machines, which verify the authenticity of vehicle chassis numbers and provide a complete history of a vehicle before it is registered.
“The machine now gives us the history of the chassis number from the manufacturer to date. Whether the car has been involved in an accident or not, it gives us all these,” he said.
Mr Kotey said the technology has exposed fraudulent practices involving forged or duplicated customs documents used to register vehicles that have not paid the required import duties.
He explained that some individuals obtain photocopies of genuine customs documents through collaborators and use the information to clone the chassis numbers of vehicles that have evaded duty payments.
“They use that photocopy, that chassis number on it, to clone the car that has not paid duty and come and register it first. When you, the original owner, now come to us, it becomes problematic,” he explained.
Mr Kotey disclosed that the DVLA has intercepted more than 130 suspected vehicles within a month of introducing the new system and has handed them over to the Customs Division for further investigations and action.
He added that Customs is currently allowing affected vehicle owners to regularise their duty payments under a temporary arrangement. However, he stressed that this flexibility will end once the Authority fully rolls out its digital system.
Mr Kotey warned motorists who have not fulfilled their customs obligations to take advantage of the current window to regularise their documents, saying future offenders would face prosecution.
“Henceforth, when we arrest you, we’ll prosecute you. Because it’s a criminal offence. That level of amnesty is over,” he stated.
The DVLA says its ongoing digital reforms are designed to curb fraud, improve accountability and ensure that only vehicles with valid documentation are registered in Ghana.
