According to Mr. Obeng Boateng, Mr. Amoah made a false claim when he suggested that he [ Alfred Obeng Boateng] through his agents, had threatened to take his life, following allegations of financial malfeasance he leveled against him and the BOST recently.

[contextly_sidebar id=”iiF60ZMI5A5rbLvf1VnnwpHkunw0P4Vj”]The suit, which is expected to be moved on 23rd March in the High Court said: “ The plaintiff/applicant herein praying this honourable court for an order of injunction restraining the defendant/ respondent herein, his agents, assigns, workmen, and all persons claiming through or under him from further publishing or broadcasting any word or words or images in any manner whatsoever to the effect that plaintiff had coopted, engaged, contracted or solicited the services of any person or persons to curse, insult, attack, threaten the life of the defendant or threaten to kill defendant in three days pending a final determination to this suit upon terms more particularly stated in the accompanying affidavit.”

He is, therefore, asking the court to slap a GHC2 million damages against the defendant for damaging his professional reputation; 2 million cedis for damaging his social reputation and 1 million cedis for the psychological trauma the death threat publication has had on him.

Duncan Amoah had claimed his life was in danger after he uncovered a supposed shady deal at BOST which is believed to have cost the nation GHC 23 million in revenue.

According to Duncan Amoah, about 1.8 million barrels of crude oil was sold at a discount to an unlicensed company known as BB Energy.

He indicated that some unidentified assailants allegedly linked to Mr. Obeng had since this revelation  vowed to eliminate him in three days.

Mr. Obeng, in a rebuttal, however dismissed these claims, saying the COPEC boss was being used to distract the new BOST administration.

The BOST MD held that if Duncan Amoah had genuine concerns, he would have approached BOST through more appropriate avenues as opposed to public utterances.

“If Duncan Amoah meant well, the first thing to do is to find out the rationale behind such decision be it commercial or not. But you cannot just get up and issue such statement that has potential to damage reputation of your fellow human beings and the very company that belongs to all of us as Ghanaians because of your individual interest of looking for cheap money.”

Mr. Obeng Boateng lamented further that, “everyday management [of BOST] is having crisis meeting because of these false and misleading publications thereby preventing management from concentrating on its core mandate.”

“Ghanaians and the media should not allow this selfish individual to fool us by placing his interest above the national interest, he added.

Explanation for ‘discount’

Mr. Obeng Boateng noted that, the oil in question could not have been sold at the official price because of the amount of time that had passed between the time of purchase and sale.

“In his [Duncan Amoah] statement, he exposed his ignorance when he stated that at the international level Quaibo Crude is sold at Brent plus $0.85 per barrel as official price, and therefore BOST has caused financial loss to the state by selling its own at a discount of $2 per barrel. It must be noted here that a cargo imported with the aim of refining or using for one purpose but did not materialize and reselling it about 10 months later, cannot be sold at the official price. Such a product is considered distress and is always sold at a discount globally.”

“As we speak, BOST has offers for such distress cargoes at a discount of $4 per barrel. Any person competent in the industry would have asked for the details before issuing this illogical and baseless statement actuated by malice and selfish interest to mislead the good people of Ghana. Thus keeping the crude for such a period may affect the quality and for that matter the yield, hence the assay is a factor in pricing,” he explained.

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By: Marian Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post BOST MD sues Duncan Amoah over ‘death threat’ claims appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The Minister of Energy who tasked a committee to investigate the issue subsequently cleared BOST and its Managing Director, Alfred Obeng Boateng of wrongdoing citing a Bureau of National Investigation (BNI) and National Security report.

But some Ghanaians especially the Minority in Parliament complained that it was a cover up.

Below is an infographic summarizing the scandal:

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By: Joy Notoma & Mawuli Tsikata/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Major players in BOST contaminated fuel saga [Infographic] appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The Managing Director of BOST, Alfred Obeng, Movenpinaa Energy, Zupoil and MacWest have all been joined to the suit filed by a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) called Strategic Thinkers Network-Africa.

BOST had been widely lambasted for selling 5 million litres of contaminated fuel to two unlicensed companies, Movenpinaa and Zup Oil, which were allegedly set up few days before the sale, costing Ghana about GHc 7 million in revenue.

[contextly_sidebar id=”GX6Bb3HGXDyv4xGdOkJqgsh0krdwOjY9″]The Energy Minister, Boakye Agyarko subsequently set up an investigative committee to look into the matter.

However, on Tuesday, the Energy Minister cleared BOST and its Managing Director, Alfred Obeng Boateng of wrongdoing citing a Bureau of National Investigation (BNI) and National Security report.

“The investigations so far carried out by the state security agencies and the NPA show that on the basis of previous practice, there was no wrongdoing at BOST on the sale of the 5 million liters of contaminated products,” he added.

But several groups and individuals including the Minority in Parliament have accused the Energy Ministry of conniving with the BNI to cover up the scandal; a claim government had disputed.

The NGO in its writ argued that the entire transaction was “illegal,” “fraudulent” and with potential to cause financial loss to the State, and is therefore null and void and of no effect.”

It is however praying the court to declare the transaction between BOST, Movepinaa and Zup Oil as “illegal, unlawful and in clear violation of Section 16(2) (c) of the Public Procurement Act, 2003(Act 663) as amended by the Public Procurement (Amendment) Act, 2016 (Act 914).”

The Network is also urging the court to declare the “decision to single source the sale of the contaminated fuel products to the 4th Defendant [Movepiina] by the 2nd Defendant [BOST] acting through the 3rd Defendant [BOST MD] is in clear contravention of Section 35 and 40(1) of Public Procurement Act, 2003, (Act 663) as amended by the Public Procurement (Amendment) Act, 2016 (Act 914).”

“A declaration that the activities of the 4th and 5th Defendants in engaging in downstream petroleum activities without licenses is in violation of Section 11 of the National Petroleum Authority Act, 2005 (Act 691). An order of the Honourable Court setting aside the entire transaction on grounds of illegality and fraud,” the NGO added in the writ.

Investigate BOST scandal again – IMANI

Policy think tank, IMANI Ghana, has however called on the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, to initiate fresh investigations into the matter to prove his commitment towards fighting corruption.

According to IMANI, the report by the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) clearing BOST of any wrongdoing as announced by the Minister of Energy, is not only baffling but “juvenile” and “delinquent.”

“This whole mockery of governance can be made clean again by a singular act of the President for fresh inquiry into the activities of BOST in the last 8 years, and all persons liable for fuel fraud to be held accountable. But we want immediate answers to the present fraud. It is simply early in the day for a new government with boundless optimism,” a statement signed by President of IMANI Ghana, Franklin Cudjoe stated.

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By: Godwin Akweiteh Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @AlloteyGodwin

The post BOST, NPA, others sued over contaminated fuel saga appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.