* Grimaldi Staff Are The Perpetrators – Clearing Agents
Some clearing agents have alleged Grimaldi Shipping of illegally depriving them of the opportunity of picking the consignments imported by their clients into the country through the shipping company.
This was the claim of some of the clearing agents who spoke with our correspondent in Lagos, last week even as they vowed to close down the premises of the organisation if their consignments should be kept any further.
According to some of the agents, the clearing agents had paid the necessary fee to the company through the designated banks, issued with receipts, Terminal Delivery Order (TDO) and had even been given their container refund but were later told that they did not pay the required money.
Speaking further, they accused the staff of the organisation of being the perpetrators of the crime and not the agents who had been certified to have paid.
Mr. Olayiwola Alapakristi is one of the agents whose client’s consignment is held by the shipping company for the same reason.
According to him, he was surprised to see that he was not allowed to pick his consignment even when he had paid and issued with a TDO which he said was a sign of payment.
He said, “We don’t know anything, we just discovered that last Thursday, my jetty was blocked and when I asked, they said I should go back to the shipping company, when I got there, they said somebody committed crime from my agency and i requested to know the people, they gave me the number of the Bill of Lading and I called their numbers and inquired why they should do such thing and they said they paid to their staff.”
He stated that if the people did not pay, they would not have been allowed to pick their consignments.
Another agent, Okolie Ifeanyi while lamenting the plight of the agents, said that the company’s claim of being short changed was not possible as there was no way an agent could pick his consignment without having paid the full fee.
In his words, “The issue is that they said the agencies defrauded the system but what happened is nothing like defrauding.
“How is it that you say you paid online from the bank to the organisation, they issued receipts, issued TDO and TDO means you have paid and they will release the container and at the end of the day, they came and collected refund from them (GRIMALDI) and they still said the agency did not pay after releasing container.?” He queried.
Meanwhile, the General Manager of Grimald, Babatunde Keshinro while speaking with our correspondent in his office on the issue said anyone who claimed to have paid should produce his receipt of payment.
He said transactions in Grimaldi were never shrouded in secrecy and that anyone alleging the staff of the organisation of ant fraud should come up with a proof.
