SAHARA Wahala: Ghanaian pair bail out

TWO Ghanaians at the heart of the Sahara Energy business in Ghana have sensationally bailed out of the company.

The pair, Messrs. Kwame Nyantakyi and Ian Randolph, (the latter, hitherto unknown as part of the team,) have been out of the company for some months now, but it was not known until The Chronicle’s intensification of investigations into the state of rot that had engulfed the energy sector and put the integrity of the nation’s energy situation in jeopardy under Wereko-Brobby’s administration.

Mr. Randolph, brother-in-law of the Foreign Minister and publisher owner of The Statesman newspaper, Nana Akufo-Addo, has reverted to Abuja, Nigeria where he had been in exile for years since the regime of ex-AFRC and PNDC headman Dr. Jerry John Rawlings.

Randolph, who used to be friends with the Goka brothers in the oil business in Abuja, returned to Ghana after the NPP secured power in 2000.

His name appears with that of Kwame Nyantakyi on the contract documents for the supply of light crude oil to the VRA. The document also bears the signature of Wereko-Brobby as chief executive officer of VRA and Mr. Mark Addy, head of VRA Legal.

Further checks showed that Mr. Randolph had joined a young Nigerian moneybag and entrepreneur, Otumba Mike Adenuga, a major player in the telecom sector in Nigeria.

Adenuga, who heads Global Communications, a licensed GSM operator, was associated with a failed plan to buy NITEL, the country’s telecommunications company, but is reputed to enjoy the ‘goodwill’ of Ibrahim Babangida, the billionaire ex-President of Nigeria. Adenuga owns Consolidated Oil, as well as a bank.

In an interview with the management of Sahara in Accra, Mr. Folu Aderibigbe, capo of the Ghana branch, admitted that both Dr. Nyantekyi and Mr. Randolph are no longer with Sahara.

According to him, Dr. Nyantekyi, who is Mr. Randolph’s brother-in-law, is also the agent for BNP Paribas and was agents to Tsakos Shipping and probably due to family ties and possible conflict of interest, they decided to work together both formally and informally with Sahara’s international competitors, Arcadia Petroleum.

As regards the alleged probe of the two former Sahara men at the VRA, Mr. Aderibigbe explained that while the management of Sahara was not aware that the two men were under investigations at VRA, they only found out that all allegations against Sahara were sent to VRA via their new company.

He added that in the light of that it was possible that VRA might have been interested in determining the reason behind their action, which included issues that Sahara had never submitted or made reference to.

“Sahara is not aware of any submission of fraudulent invoices and cannot determine if Dr. Nyantekyi or Mr. Randolph submitted any such invoices. We were told to determine the authenticity of certain documents, which we since did,” he pointed out.

When The Chronicle wanted to know what the terms of their contract with both the VRA and TOR were, he said their company was bound by the confidentiality clause not to disclose the specific details of any of its contracts.

He suggested, “Perhaps VRA or TOR might be willing to break that clause and release such details.” According to him, they participate in a highly competitive, free and open industry where their competitors would gladly welcome the release of such information to enable them to prepare their bids better.

“We can openly confirm that any price we presently carry out in either of these contracts, is a minimum of 125% less than previous contractors prices and the savings to the nation is very significant,” he said.

He denied that Sahara had ever been investigated by Shell for allegedly stealing Crude Oil.

“We have never been involved in the practice and will never be associated with anyone who does so and Sahara is fully registered with both Shell and BP as Crude Oil Lifters and Traders, a registration that would not be granted or sustained if our record was stained or tainted,” Mr. Aderibigbe said confidently, adding that Sahara Energy is fully operational on the ground in Ghana through its affiliate Ghanaian registered company, and has commenced direct investment in the Ghanaian economy, as was the model of the Sahara Group.

According to him, the contract quality is for a light Crude Oil meeting specific parameters, all of which the Okono Crude Oil falls within.

“All tests showed it was of a higher quality than other grades of light crude oil being used by the plants,” he said, adding, “ There is no Crude Oil known as Brent Crude.”

In a related development, ongoing disputation between Sahara and VRA, have yielded interesting developments.

Under the rules of English law relating to disclosure of documents, solicitors acting for VRA during the shot-gun reign of the alleged energy whiz kid, Dr. Wereko-Brobby, namely Messrs. Holam Fenwick and Willan and London city based solicitors, Shaw and Croft, have flooded their offices with a huge pile of documents in their bid to defend themselves from attempts by Sahara Energy Resources to wring some more money from them.

The law firm had had to fly down a member of their legal team, Ms. Sarah Taylor, to carry loads of documents to fight their case in the arbitration in London.

Using sophisticated database retrieval technology available via an American firm’s system, Lexis, (Chronicle’s external contacts in San Diego,) it has been possible to monitor court and arbitration developments to track aspects of the state of the arbitration.

Of the 358 documents that are within the possession of the London firm, retrieved from the head office in Accra, the name Inter Afrique Holdings appears only 10 times, while Sahara Energy Resources appears several more times.

The Chronicle had been scouring for the reason for the fallout between the Ghanaians and Tarzan.

It was subsequently suggested that the fallen VRA chief started dealing directly with the Nigerians, thus sidelining the Ghanaians, who had registered as the lawful representatives of the Nigerian group, effectively cutting them off the oil deal.

In a fit of pique, Nyantakyi resigned from Sahara, and promptly moved over to represent Arcadia Petroleum, which is one of the major oil companies, which in fact used to supply Sahara. Nyantakyi is also representing Rangold in Ghana.

Chronicle tried to track The Nyantakyi brothers (Kwesi and Kwame), directors of InterAfrique Holdings, to a suburb in Accra to get their comments on the situation but stumbled instead on discussions for an elaborate celebration with garlanded ostriches and ostrich eggs specially flown in from overseas.(It has since taken place).

That squelched suggestions that Sahara’s Ghanaian counterparts had been ‘disenfranchised’ financially from the deal that nets the Nigerian group $3 million in annual management fees. The Ghanaian boys were supposed to get their cut from this fee. This figure includes fees for the ‘management’ of the Tema Oil Refinery crude oil supply, as well. In actual fact, Sahara virtually does nothing because the shipping is sub contracted to Tsakos, a familiar shipper, which had been doing exactly the same shipping for GNPC under Tsatsu Tsikata, and charging nothing in ‘management’ fees.

With the Ghanaian boys out, the next legitimate question is who may be enjoying the financial cream that flowed and should have normally been enjoyed by Nyantakyi and his group in Ghana? That question will be explored later as The Chronicle begins to pore into certain bank accounts all over the place, including Barclays Bank in the UK.

Documented proof of the strained relations between Sahara’s Ghanaian reps and Dr. Wereko- Brobby lay with the angry, testy letter from the 50- year old who was then allegedly formalising his relationship with an employee of VRA he had quickly promoted, even as he pushed violently for a divorce. Part of the proof of the soured relation is in a letter written and signed by Wereko-Brobby, titled: “WHO IS RHEIN OEL?”

It is the title of a memo authored by Tarzan dated July 14 which impliedly poured scorn on Sahara’s Ghanaian representatives, ostensibly Nyantakyi and Randolph, and defended the integrity and bonafides of the Nigerians, owners of the main company, Sahara Energy Resources, a company whose address is strangely, and significantly located offshore in Isle of Man.

Their address is 7 Hill Street, Douglas, Isle of Man, making it difficult for Chronicle to find them physically.

Traditionally, and as a matter of personal policy, Dr. Wereko-Brobby has refused to talk to The Chronicle.

The Chronicle gathered that the name of the Nigerian boss of Sahara Energy Resources is Mr. Tonye Cole, a young man in his 30s, but born into a family of prominence, his father being the former Managing Director of the one time leading Federal Government majority-owned daily newspaper, Daily Times of Nigeria. The no-nonsense anti-corruption President General Olusegun Obasanjo later made him ambassador. His name is Dr. Patrick Dele Cole.

Curiously, Mr. Tonye Cole, who was in the country for Tarzan’s 50th birthday, has now gained access and acquaintance of the principal supporter of Dr. Wereko-Brobby, the Chief of Staff, Mr. Kwadwo Mpiani. Tony is allegedly credited with flying in a clown from Nigeria to come and entertain guests at the birthday party from which The Chronicle was barred.

There are two facts that are worthy of mention for its import. Arcadia is competing with Sahara Energy Resources for the supply contract for crude oil supplies from Nigeria, particularly, the 15,000 barrels a day quota to VRA.

The other fact is that Dr. Wereko-Brobby’s first cousin is married to the genial and convivial honourable Chief of Staff, Mr. Kwadwo Mpiani.

One of the principal names involved in the initial brouhaha over Sahara’s maiden entrance to Ghana is the Deputy Minister of Energy, Fante kramo man, Mr. K.Tahiru Hammond, a Member of Parliament, lawyer and former student of Mr. Tsatsu Tsikata.

He handles the oil schedule at the Ministry of Energy.