CHRAJ To Be Petitioned Over $3m Wrongful Payment At BOST

The Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) is set to investigate the Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation Company Limited (BOST) over allegations of conflict of interest.

BOST is also alleged to have wrongfully paid $3 million to a private oil firm Springfield Energy Limited against advice by external lawyers.

The legislator for Bongo, Edward Bawa, has told Joy News on Tuesday he will file a petition of wrongdoing on the part of the BOST CEO, George Mensah Okley and his Head of Finance, John Kojo Akorful for acting against the interest of the company.

“BOST is a public entity which has given people specific activities to do and on the basis of that, we are to ensure that the public purse must be protected. One must not do that with suspicion of collusion and corruption.

Bongo MP, Edward Bawa
“When we have these reports and we are not able to ascertain their veracity, it is only fair that you give the person an opportunity and platform to either challenge or plead guilty,” he explained his reasons for petitioning CHRAJ.

Documents available to Joy News suggest Springfield Energy brought its product to BOST tank farm in 2013 October for storage but part of the product could not be accounted.

This forced Springfield Energy a claim of $20.2 million but an Accra High Court after an auditor’s report ordered BOST to rather pay $11.1 million representing the loss products and interest calculated on it.

The current CEO of BOST who took over in July has declined to comment on the issue but Joy News had learned the presidency has ordered a report from the company on the issue by close of business on Monday, September 10.

But Mr Bawa said he is not sure whether he is confident or otherwise about the presidency getting involved to get to the bottom of it.

“It is the product of this investigation [by CHRAJ] that will give me the confidence to place any judgement value on that, but as of now my fingers are crossed to see what the presidency will do,” he said.

The Bongo MP said BOST has been in the news for all the wrong reasons since 2017 and it is time to ensure that the right things are done so the future of the country’s fuel storage is put in order.

“I believe this case may begin to be the healing process of ensuring that BOST is placed strategically to perform its mandate,” he added.

Story by Ghana| Myjoyonline.com |Abubakar Ibrahim |[email protected]