COPEC-GH: Retrieve all taxes from sale of dirty fuel

The Chamber of Petroleum Consumers Ghana (COPEC-GH) has urged authorities to go for taxes and other levies owed the state by the Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation Company Limited (BOST) in the sale of some five million litres of contaminated fuel.

BOST sold the contaminated fuel to Movenpinna Energy and Zup Oil to be used by heavy machine users in some industries in Tema.

But COPEC-GH wants “immediate attempts by the state to retrieve all taxes and revenues due it in view of the fact the two companies that bought and have already transported the products from the bonded BOST depot to an unbonded location are not in any way licensed to do so”.

COPEC-GH, which has condemned the transaction due to the possibility of the fuel ending up at the pumps, is also calling for immediate “interdiction and arrest of the technical and other officials of BOST together with the two named companies for circumventing due process in awarding and securing an illegal contract as these off-takers clearly have no legal permit to conduct such business”.

Below is the COPEC-GH statement:

RETRIEVE ALL TAXES DUE THE STATE IN THE BOST DEAL

The ensuing scandal involving The Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation and two unlicensed companies continues to rage as actors in the transaction continue to shift their defences.

From an initial outright denial of any product having gone out from Bost depots to subsequent acknowledgement of only one hundred and eight thousand (108,000) litres going out.

Investigations by the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) however has uncovered over 870,000 litres to have been discharged from tank 121 at the Accra Plains Depot (APD) whiles 471,000 litres have already been moved out of the terminal of BOST in Tema to an un-bonded location at Zupoil.

This whooping quantity of the contaminated fuel is currently reported to be held in an un-bonded tank yard somewhere in Tema though the company holding these quantities are not licensed to hold or transact fuel products according to the NPA.

Authorities have confirmed taking samples of this products for testing and will return to confirm the volumes or quantities at the tank yard, this current situation further leaves the consuming public wondering the sort of security that has existed around the products since it was moved to the un-bonded location and whether or not some quantities have not already been dumped onto the market as is being suspected by the public.

For the avoidance of doubt, the chamber of Petroleum Consumers is calling for the following with immediate effect.

1). Immediate cordoning off of the location where these contaminated products are being held.

2). Immediate positioning of state security officers at the said depot to prevent anyone from re-adding any litres suspected to be already sold to attain the original volume taken from Bost depots.

3). Immediate ascertaining or measuring of volumes both in tank 121 at bost and the holding tanks at Zupoil.

4). Immediate attempts by the state to retrieve all taxes and revenues due it in view of the fact the two companies that bought and have already transported the products from the bonded Bost depot to an unbonded location are not in any way licensed to do so.

5). Immediate interdiction and arrests of the technical and other officials of Bost together with the two named companies for circumventing due process in awarding and securing an illegal contract as these off-takers clearly have no legal permit to conduct such business.

We commend the NPA for their tireless efforts so far as well as the Ministry of Energy for the setting up of the 8 member committee comprising of relevant stakeholders to get to the exact truths surrounding this transaction.

Signed.

Duncan Amoah Executive Secretary COPEC GH