Nine OMCs to face Special Prosecutor for Marine Gas Oil diversion

A preliminary investigation by the Alliance for Social Equity and Public Accountability (ASEPA) has uncovered a syndicate of nine Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) allegedly involved in the Marine Gas Oil (MGO) smuggling business.

According to ASEPA’s Executive Director, Mensah Thompson, these OMCs have been diverting MGO products meant for the fishing industry, which have been exempted from taxes, and selling them at commercial prices, pocketing the tax component of GHC2.39.

“The tax component of GHC2.39 is collected at the full benefit of these smugglers,” Mensah Thompson stated.

The investigation revealed that in 2023, approximately 83,690,000 liters of MGO were smuggled, resulting in a tax evasion of over GHC200 million. In 2024, about 139 million liters of MGO were diverted, leading to tax evasion of over GHC300 million.

ASEPA plans to publish the full list of OMCs involved and submit it to the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) for further investigation, prosecution, and retrieval of the revenues.

ASEPA will include all National Petroleum Authority (NPA) and Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) officials implicated in the scandal in the list submitted to the OSP.

The OSP is responsible for investigating and prosecuting corruption and corruption-related offences.