Dirty fuel: BDC CEO to sue Agyapong over $1m bribe claim

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Bulk Oil Distribution Companies (BDCs) has threatened legal action against Assin Central MP Kennedy Agyapong for claiming that he (Mr Hosi) attempted bribing the Managing Director of the Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation Company Limited (BOST), Alfred Obeng Boateng, with $1million so that a consignment of off-spec fuel sold to Movenpiina Company Limited by BOST would have been abrogated and rather sold to him (Mr Hosi).

According to Mr Agyapong, Mr Obeng Boateng rejected the bribe.

He alleged on Accra-based Oman FM and subsequently on Accra-based Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen political talk show that Mr Hosi is part of a cartel that is deliberately going after the BOST MD because he rejected to sell the fuel to them.

However, Mr Hosi denied the allegation. He told Kwadwo Asare-Baffour Acheampong on Thursday 29 June that he had no incentive whatsoever to have bribed Mr Obeng Boateng.

“This is just not true. I will look for his number and speak to him, he is an MP and so I will need to accord him the respect and so I will call him and speak to him. But I will take a proper legal action against him to restore my image because it is libellous,” Mr Hosi said.

Energy Minister Boakye Agyarko on Wednesday put together an eight-member committee to probe the sale of the contaminated fuel to Movenpiina, which in turn sold the consignment to Zup Oil for distribution to the pumps.

The committee is made up of representatives from the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), Tema Oil Refinery (TOR), Bureau of National Investigations (BNI), Ghana Standards Authority, Chamber of Bulk Oil Distributors, Association of Oil Marketing Companies, Energy Commission, and relevant civil society organisations.

They are to determine the circumstances that created the off-spec product, review procedures used by BOST to evacuate oil products, ascertain the quality of the product and the remaining quantity, determine if the product can be corrected, and if not determine what to use it for and finally to review the transaction between BOST and Movenpiina.

However, Mr Agyepong said he found it strange that Mr Hosi’s firm is part of the probe.