The Member of Parliament for Akatsi South Constituency in the Volta Region says the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government insulted Ghanaians with the decision taken on the controversial sale of contaminated fuel at the Bulk Oil Storage and Transport Company (BOST).
In Mr. Bernard Ahiafor’s assessment, “it sounds so insulting that at the time that the transaction took place the company was not in existence. Now the NPA came out clearly to say that they have not licensed those two companies so clearly, they have operated without a license”.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) legislator was contributing to discussions on Onua FM’s Ghana Dadwene on the sale of 5 million litres of contaminated fuel by BOST to two unlicensed companies – Movenpiinaa Energy, Zupoil -, resulting in GH ¢7 million loss of revenue to the state.
An eight-member committee involving officials of the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) were tasked by the Energy Minister, Boakye Agyarko to investigate the matter.
But an independent investigation by the BNI claimed the embattled BOST boss, Mr Afred Obeng Boateng committed no wrongdoing in his dealings with the two companies.
But the Akatsi South MP analysed: “We all know what has gone into this scandal. Now one of the allegations is that, the transaction took place before that Movenpinaa Company was incorporated and there is a legal issue here, that, it is only when a company is incorporated with certificate to be able to commence business that the company becomes eligible body to be capable of doing what you and I can do through the directors of the particular company”.
Mr. Ahiafor further said “so for a company like Movinpiina, it has to be established under the laws of the Republic of Ghana. If there is a transaction that took place the time that the company was not registered, then you and I should think about what it is actually happening regarding that issue to the extent that somebody will come out with a report to exonerate those involved”.
Commenting on the Energy Minister’s assertions that companies that are unlicensed and even individuals have bided for contaminated fuel at BOST, the MP said two wrongs do not make a right.
“Two wrongs do not make a right. Let us say you are alleging somebody was a thief then why didn’t you go after that particular person and bring out the allegations behind him and you wait until you caught another before you say that person is also a thief, in fact what kind of analogy is that?”
Mr. Ahiafor therefore stated emphatically that “alleging that somebody has violated the law should not change the position of the law”.
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