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Sack K.K Sarpong - Lawyer charges Akufo-Addo

A private legal practitioner, Mr Justice Srem Sai, has called on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to relieve the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana National Petroleum Company (GNPC), Dr. K.K Sarpong off his duties.

Dr KK Sarpong and Freddie Blay

He said Dr. Sarpong should be fired or resign his post due to his internal wranglings with the Board Chairman of GNPC, Freddie Blay.

Speaking on Accra based Class FM, Justice Sai said, “Letting the Board Chairman go means that the CEO has won and then the next Board Chairman will also have to pander to that CEO. So, it makes a lot of sense, not because he’s wrong, not because he’s done anything which is untoward, but to keep the Board above the CEO, I think it will be better if the CEO goes…”

The CEO and the Board Chairman have been at loggerheads over the appointment of a procurement officer for the company.

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Dr Sarpong, in a letter, accused Mr Blay of overstepping his boundaries by ordering the Chief Finance Officer (CFO) to proceed with the recruitment process without recourse to him (Dr Sarpong) even though the CFO is a subordinate.

Dr Sarpong said he saw the action of Mr Blay as interference and accused him of using his role as the national chairman of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) to execute functions at GNPC without recourse to professional standards.

In his response, Mr Blay challenged the CEO on his assertions, insisting that the Board has the authority to recruit officers. He subsequently requested the withdrawal of the letter written by the CEO to the CFO, to affirm the recruitment of the procurement manager.

“It should be clear to you that the Board and not the CEO is the appointing authority. Professionalism, which you refer to in your letter, requires that the CEO of a state-owned entity operate within and respect the law.

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Srem Sai also added that, “The Board is above the CEO. The CEO reports to the Board, so, if there’s a conflict of this nature and you pluck off the Board Chair, you basically put the CEO above the Board".

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