BOST boss must be interdicted - Minority

Europa

June 27, 2017 3:56 PM

This comes on the back of the alleged sale of contaminated fuel to consumers.

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The Minority in Parliament has demanded an immediate interdiction of the Managing Director of the Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation (BOST)Company, Alfred Obeng Boateng, over the alleged sale of contaminated fuel to consumers.

Ghana allegedly lost about GHc 7 million in revenue following attempts by the Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation Company Limited (BOST) to sell contaminated fuel to some oil marketing companies.

Some documents sighted by Accra-based Citi FM showed that BOST agreed to sell about GHc 5 million litres of the contaminated fuel to Movenpinna Energy.

The documents indicated that as at Wednesday, June 21st, 2017, BOST had agreed to sell off an estimated 186,000 litres of contaminated fuel to the oil company.

However, BOST has responded that the selling of contaminated or off-spec product to the oil company, Movenpina was the most appropriate option available.

But the Minority said the transaction between BOST and Movenpiina, is fraught with irregularities and possible corruption to the tune of 14.25 million cedis.

Addressing the press, the Minority Spokesperson on Mines and Energy, Armah Kofi Buah, argued that “the justification by BOST that the contaminated products were sold for use by manufacturing companies is untenable.”

“The norm and practice is that, when such contamination occur, corrective treatment of these products are undertaken by the Tema Oil Refinery through blending. Why did BOST not arrange with TOR for the treatment of this particular fuel? Available information indicates that BOST failed to exhaust all means to ensure TOR blends this contaminated fuel.”

“The argument by BOST that the blending couldn’t be done at TOR because the CDU is down is most untenable,” Mr. Buah added.

The Minority is, therefore, calling for a full scale investigation into the sale of the contaminated oil.

The Minority also made the following requests:

• Full scale investigation by the regulatory authorities

• The immediate withdrawal of the contaminated product from the market to protect consumers and assurances that this will not recur.

• That the financial loss estimated at GHS 14.25 million be retrieved by surcharging the offending officials at BOST in line with the recent Supreme Court decision.

Europa