BNI, National Security clear BOST MD, Ministerial committee suspended

• Posted on July 4, 2017
• by Nana Kwesi Coomson
• Comment

The Managing Director of the Bulk Oil Storage and Transport Company (BOST), Alfred Obeng has been cleared of any wrongdoing by the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) and National Security, in the controversial sale of five million litres of off-spec fuel.

The MD came under attack over the decision to sell five million litres of contaminated fuel to Movenpiina, a company said to have been incorporated barely a month after it negotiated the deal with BOST and without NPA license.

The Energy Minister Boakye Agyarko announced, his outfit was in the process of setting up an eight-member investigative committee to look into the transaction with Movenpiina.

However, joint investigations conducted by the BNI and National Security, found nothing wrong with the decision to sell the contaminated fuel to Movenpiina Company Limited.

The investigations also established no direct relationship between MD of BOST, Mr. Alfred Obeng and Movenpiina.

Addressing a news conference Tuesday, July 4, the Minister has however, proffered some recommendations including a review of a legal regime on sale of contaminated fuel; publicising the sale of contaminated fuel by way of competitive tender as against the expression of interest as well as improving petroleum standard operating procedures to prevent future occurences.

He said: “The product contamination occurred on January 18, 2017 and the MD for BOST assumed office on January 23, 2017 and cannot be held responsible for it.”

“Among the fifteen companies that expressed interest, Movenpiina price was the highest. Its initial price was GHS 0.90 per liter as the highest followed by Nation Links Oil which quoted GHS 0.80 per liter. Despite these quotations, BOST pushed Movenpiina to pay GHS1.30 per liter which is the highest BOST has ever sold contamination products. The highest that was sold under the previous administration headed by Kwame Awuah Darko was GHS 1.00 per liter.”

He however, expressed worry over the yearly case of contaminated fuel and has as a result set up a committee led by Dr Lawrence Darkwa, Head of Chemical Engineering at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), to review operations of BOST in a bid to prevent future contamination.

Minority’s claim of cover up

Meanwhile, the Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu has accusing the BNI of a cover up in the BOST contaminated fuel saga.

He claimed what happened at BOST is a clear case of corruption that the government ought to handle, with the seriousness it deserves.

Addressing the media at Parliament, Mr Iddrisu said the findings cannot be accurate.

-Myjoyonline