The Chamber of Petroleum Consumers (COPEC), has\u00a0officially petitioned the office of the Special Prosecutor to investigate what they consider to be a questionable crude oil transaction between the Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation (BOST), and an unlicensed private oil firm, BB Energy.<\/p>\n
Speaking earlier at a news conference in Accra, the Executive Secretary of COPEC, Duncan Amoah, said the deal, which cost the country a revenue loss of GHc30 million through the sale of 1.8 million barrels of crude oil to BB Energy, was avoidable.<\/p>\n
The Executive Secretary of COPEC , Duncan Amoah on Eyewitness News<\/strong> explained that investigation by the Special Prosecutor has become necessary, given that the said transaction was fraught with some inconsistencies.<\/p>\n [contextly_sidebar id=”p3EdpmEGd66bRaagq34hBzQsF9XOZpEf”]\u201cWe think that circumstances surrounding the fields are still shrouded in a lot of shady activities. We have questioned the need to provide an instant transaction that was secured. Why will you sell to a company that has no license at all to do so? There are a lot of inconsistencies as far as this crude transaction is concerned, and we believe that the Special Prosecutor just like all well-meaning Ghanaians, would want to get to the bottom of this matter to see where certain things were not done right.\u201d<\/p>\n Mr. Amoah believes a thorough investigation by the Special Prosecutor will also avert the huge debt hanging on BOST and other petroleum companies.<\/p>\n \u201cCertain financial laws might have been occasioned, we would want to see to it that issues are corrected so that going forward, the kind of debt that we have today hanging on BOST and other petroleum companies will be averted and the consumer will not be asked to pay for it another time.”<\/p>\n Duncan Amoah had earlier accused BOST of causing financial loss to the state in the alleged sale of crude oil to BB Energy below the international market price.<\/p>\n The Managing Director of BOST, Obeng Boateng, however rubbished these claims, describing them as false and baseless<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n Mr. Obeng Boateng said Duncan Amoah was simply an \u201cenemy to the progress\u201d and should \u201cbe ignored at all times.\u201d<\/p>\n BOST MD sues Duncan Amoah<\/strong><\/p>\n He subsequently sued Duncan Amoah<\/a><\/strong>, demanding GHc5 million in damages.<\/p>\n 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 the fresh allegations of financial malfeasance he leveled against him and the BOST.<\/p>\n Energy committee to probe BOST<\/strong><\/p>\n The Mines and Energy Committee of Parliament also waded into the controversy, saying it will probe the matter.<\/p>\n The Chairman of the Committee, Emmanuel Akwasi Gyamfi said BOST and other interested parties in the matter will be engaged to better inform the Committee on how to deal with the issue.<\/p>\n \u201cWe engaged BOST before this issue came up, and we were scheduled to meet them again when this issue came up. We want to take our time and meet them and do proper due diligence; we have to get the necessary documentation so that we can reach an informed decision,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n 2017 contaminated fuel scandal<\/strong><\/p>\n In 2017, BOST was widely criticized for selling 5 million litres of contaminated fuel to two unlicensed companies, Movenpinaa and Zup Oil, which were allegedly set up a few days before the sale, costing Ghana about GHc 7 million in revenue.<\/p>\n The National Petroleum Authority (NPA) also confirmed that the two companies alleged to have purchased the over 5 million litres of contaminated fuel under suspicious circumstances from BOST were not licensed.<\/p>\n According to the NPA, it was going to take legal action against the firms, while it conducted further investigations.<\/p>\n The Energy Minister, Boakye Agyarko, also set up an investigative committee to look into the matter, which eventually cleared BOST and its Managing Director, Alfred Obeng Boateng of wrongdoing, citing a Bureau of National Investigation (BNI) and National Security reports.<\/p>\n There were however calls to initiate fresh investigations into the matter amid discontent from the Minority in Parliament and some Civil Society groups.<\/p>\n As a result of the scandal, the Energy Minister stated that private firms were no longer allowed to lift contaminated oil from BOST as part of interim measures to prevent the supply of contaminated fuel onto the Market.<\/p>\n –<\/p>\n By: Marian Ansah\/citifmonline.com\/Ghana
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