BOST boss cleared of wrongdoing in sale of contaminated fuel

The Managing Director of the Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation Limited (BOST), Alfred Obeng Boateng, has been cleared of any wrongdoing in the release of off-spec fuel onto the market.

According to the Minister of Energy, the contamination of the 5 million litres occurred way before the assumption of office by Mr Obeng Boateng.

There have been calls from certain quarters – most notably the Minority in Parliament – for the interdiction of the MD of BOST over the sale of the toxic products. Mr Obeng Boateng had also been accused of selling products to two unlicensed companies he is said to own.

But at a meeting with journalists on Tuesday, Energy Minister Boakye Agyarko said the sale of the products is not new to the company. He cited a report by the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) that such products have been sold since 2015.

The Minister of Energy set up an eight-member committee last Wednesday to investigate the circumstances leading to the sale. He said the committee will continue to work but will focus on reviewing the operations of BOST.

Dr Lawrence Darkwa, the Head of Chemical Engineering Department of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) has been named as chairman of the committee.