Fuel thefts: Stop freeing arrested perpetrators – COPEC to politicians

In a bid to fighting fuel theft facing the energy sector, Executive Secretary of Chamber of Petroleum Consumers (COPEC), Duncan Amoah, has cautioned some politicians, among other influential people in the country to desist from placing a call to free culprits of fuel thefts when arrested.

In furtherance of his claim, he noted that these acts tend to frustrate officials at post who are checking to curb the adulteration and diversion of fuel in the country.

Speaking on the newly launched electronic cargo tracking system, he emphasised that “most of the oil trucks you see already have tracking devices on them. Now as to how we decide using these devices to frustrate people who decide to adulterate or divert fuel clearly, the will hasn’t been there and there’s been instances where people have been arrested for doing the wrong thing and a few powerful people will call to say free them so the will has to be there politically…from the top if we really want to end these fuel theft, fuel smuggling, fuel diversion”.

The actions of these external powers have in a way contributed to the country’s revenue loss of US$200million annually due to the illicit trade of petroleum products on the market.

The newly launched Command Centre for Bulk Road Vehicles (BRVs) and Electronic Cargo Tracking Scheme is to stop illegal activities going on in the petroleum downstream industry especially in the form of smuggling and bunkering of petroleum products.

It is also to restrict petroleum products meant for export not to find its way on the local market.

The COPEC boss, therefore, called on all, especially politicians to change their retrogressive attitudes to help push the agenda of having a corruption-free petroleum sector.

Please listen to his audio below