Gbevlo Lartey in ‘Yentie Obiaa’ dance …

The Government appears to not have learnt any useful lessons from the numerous judgement debts, including the payment of the controversial GHc51 million to Alfred Agbesi Woyome, as it continues to drag its feet on some of the contractual cases that have been brought against it at the courts.

As at the time of filing this report, a Tema based company, Glasbrown Ltd. was threatening a showdown with the government over a $320,000 rent owed it by the National Security, of which the latter is dragging its feet in paying. The Chronicle gathered that the government could end up paying several millions of cedis should the case travel its full course at the court.

Information available to The Chronicle indicate that in 2013, the Ghana Navy Intercepted a tanker, MT Mustard at sea, with some quantity of High Pour Fuel believed to have been taken from Gabon.

Initially, reports had suggested that the product was taken from the Saltpond Oilfields, but that assertion turned out to be false. Armed naval guards were, however, placed on the vessel whilst the Tema High Court was hearing a case involving its ownership which was in contention.

The Navy later discovered that the vessel was taking in water, thus forcing the National Security to step in. Per a letter dated 18th November, 2013, signed by the then Coordinator, Lt-Col. Larry Gbevlo-Lartey, and requested Glasbrown Ltd to transfer the product from the vessel to its facility.

Glasbrown Ltd. then charged the National Security $320,000 for the storage of the fuel in its tankers. Though the storage in the private facility was a stop-gap measure, the National Security has failed to evacuate the fuel to enable the Glasbrown Ltd. have access to its facilities for other business transaction. The fuel has also caked in the tanks, thus making it a herculean task to remove them.

Meanwhile, a careful study of the commodity showed that besides its solidity, it would require extra chemical treatment at a huge cost to meet the required octane number, a resultant product which still cannot be sold on the market to recoup the expenditure.

A source close to the company intimated that an estimated amount of about GHc3 million is what is needed to dislodge the product which has now solidified in the tanks.

Counsel for the company, Victor Kojogah Adawudu, when contacted, said before dislodging the fuel, the tanks have to be destroyed, which cost goes to the National Security that engaged the services of his client, Glasbrown Ltd.

After this process, he continued, there would be the need to construct new tanks for its commercial ventures. Efforts made to contact both National Security and the Attorney General’s Office proved unsuccessful.