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The Minority in Parliament wants the Senior Staff Association of the Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation Company (BOST), to name the companies which make up the supposed oil cartel disrupting the downstream petroleum sector.
This follows concerns raised by the senior staff Association that the activities of the said cartel could lead to an eventual shortage of fuel in the country.
Speaking to Citi News’ Duke Mensah Opoku, the Minority Spokesperson on Mines and Energy, Adams Mutawakilu, indicated that the staff would be condoning an illegality if they fail to name and shame members of the so-called cartel.
“BOST plays a very strategic role in the downstream industry and they know that per the NPA Act, every cartel business is a criminal offence. So issuing a statement without mentioning who and which BDCs, OMCs or individuals are engaged in a cartel business is quite worrying.”
“They [BOST], also know that the NPA Act criminalizes this type of business. Couldn’t they have informed the CEO and the management of NPA to effect the arrest of these individuals or organizations engaging in this cartel business,” Mutawakilu quizzed.
Background
The Senior Staff of BOST predicted a shortage of fuel following what they say is the continuous interference by a cartel in the company’s activities.
Secretary of the Senior Staff Association of BOST, Ekow Sey, claimed on Tuesday that some Bulk Oil Distribution Companies (BDCs) and highly-placed individuals, who form the cartel, have since October 2017, prevented BOST from importing petroleum products into the country.
Mr. Sey in an interview with Citi Business News warned of dire consequences if nothing is done to break up the growing cartel within the petroleum sector.
“As we speak now, BOST is the only entity that has been given the mandate to ensure that we keep strategic stock for the country. The question we should ask ourselves is that, a state company that has been given such a huge responsibility, why is it that from October till date people are trying so hard to put obstacles in our way to bring in petroleum products for strategic reasons. For fuel insecurity, I can’t speak about it in detail but you can make some analogy and draw some inference and get your answer.”
‘BOST covering up incompetence with cartel claims’ – COPEC
Meanwhile, the Chamber of Petroleum Consumers Ghana (COPEC), has rejected claims of the existence of a cartel within BOST.
The Executive Director of COPEC, Duncan Amoah, on Eyewitness News insisted that no “cartel will have any interest at all in sinking and already sunken institution like BOST.”
He says the claims appear to be a ploy by BOST to cover up its incompetence.