The Energy Ministry’s decision to set up an investigative committee to probe the Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation (BOST) company’s controversial sale of 5 million litres of contaminated fuel, has not calmed the Minority in Parliament, who are still pushing for the interdiction of BOST’s Managing Director, Alfred Obeng.
The MP for Bongo, Edward Bawa said any investigation will be compromised with the Managing Director still at post.
“We do know that with his presence there, he will tamper with the investigation,” Mr. Bawa said on Eyewitness News.
The Minority first called for the BOST MD’s interdiction following a Citi News report making known claims to the effect that, Ghana lost about GHc 7 million in revenue following attempts by the BOST to sell contaminated fuel to some oil marketing companies,
When the Minority MPs called for the BOST MD to be interdicted, the Mr. Bawa said it was because they “wanted a situation where the investigation would go on without any hindrance.”
But “as we speak, two officers have been interdicted because they were against this whole idea of a sale,” he added.
Mr. Bawa noted the further that the committee will rely on some workers on BOST to be able to unravel the truth of the transaction “but if you have a boss who is almost like a tiger there, there is no way you can get the best out of them.”
The MP thus served notice that the Minority will not be waiting for the committee’s findings and “will definitely go ahead to push for the interdiction of the BOST MD.”
The two companies involved in the sale of the contaminated fuel, Zup Oil and Movenpinaa Energy, were found to be unlicensed by the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), thus contravening section 11 of the National Petroleum Authority Act, ACT 691, 2005.
The African Center for Energy Policy (ACEP), which first alleged that these companies were unlicensed also called for the BOST MD to step aside to allow a probe into the matter.
The NPA has already conducted preliminary investigations into the matter.
The eight-member committee set up to probe the contaminated fuel sale has been mandated to determine the circumstances that led to the contamination of the fuel and review the transaction.
The committee will also review the procedures undertaken by BOST to evacuate the product and ascertain the quality and remaining quantity of the product.
The committee will be made up of representatives of; the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), the Tema oil Refinery (TOR), the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA), Bureau of National Investigations, Chamber of Bulk oil Distributors, Association of Oil Marketing Companies, Energy Commission and a representative from the relevant Civil Society Organizations.
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(Via: CitiFM Online Ghana)
