KOSMOS denies owing ECG

KOSMOS Energy Ghana on Thursday denied it owed the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) utility bills saying its bills had been paid as far back as November last year.

Reacting to media reports that KOSMOS was listed among a group of companies that owed the ECG, Mr George Sarpong, said KOSMOS was one of the only two companies which had fully settled their bills among 12 companies which were listed.

Mr Sarpong produced documents indicating that Kosmos Energy had settled all bills totalling GHC 121,819.99 to the ECG as at November 24, 2011 with the Cheque number 788154 from the High Street branch of the Standard Chartered Bank and was therefore surprised the company was listed as one of the defaulters.

Mr Sarpong said this could be crosschecked with the ECG for confirmation through the Airforce Base in Takoradi.

Meanwhile, The Ghana Armed Forces says it has resolved alleged fraudulent deals by the Ghana Air Force Base at Takoradi in the payment of monies by private companies operating at its premises.

The three parties, the ECG, Ghana Air Force and representatives from the private companies at a meeting agreed on a work out mode of settling electricity bills by companies operating from the Air Force Base.

A statement to the Ghana News Agency in Accra signed by Lieutenant Colonel E. Aggrey-Quashie for the Ghana Armed Forces Director of Public Relations dismissed media reports which sought to implicate the Army in fraudulent dealings with private companies.

The Chief of Air Staff, Air Vice Marshal Micheal Samson-Oje explained that the auditing process in the Armed Forces was very transparent, thereby making it impossible for cheating or cover-up of fraudulent deals.

He cautioned the private companies operating within the Air Force base to ensure they made prompt and full payment of their outstanding debts to the ECG or risk eviction.

Mr Dan Adjei-Larbi the Public Relations Officer of ECG also urged the companies to take immediate steps to regularised their electricity consumption and pay up all their indebtedness.

The Deputy Energy Minister, Mr Emmanuel Armah-Kofi also participated in the meeting.