Details are emerging on how some staff of the Ghana’s only oil refinery, Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) stole petroleum products belonging to the company’s clients and caused financial loss to the company.
According to information gathered, following the expose published by DGN Online about the interdiction of some 14 top executives on September 28, 2021, about 105,927 litres of Gas oil which belongs to a BDC client on 4th September 2021 suddenly disappeared from the refinery.
Also, between September 21, 2021 and September 25, 2021, there was wrongful loading of 252,000 litres of Aviation Turbine Kerosene (ATK) instead of regular Kerosene into BRV Trucks at the loading gantry.
As if that was not enough, somewhere in April 2021, there was another disappearance of 18 drums of electrical cables worth GHS10.4 million from the Technical Storehouse.
Shockingly, a product, liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) belonging to a client between 2012 and 2015 also disappeared and this has resulted in TOR indebted to the client to the tune of $4.8 million, as confirmed by an Ernst and Young audit.
Issuance of unauthorized letter admitting debt liability to TOR with attendant computation of interest without the approval of IMC.
Loss of Naphtha to a BDC client.
This accounted for why Funds given by the Ministry of Finance for the payment of TOR’s Debt to a project consulting firm of TOR, did not get paid to them until a garnishee order was placed on the Company’s account in in July 2021.
It against this reasons why the Energy Minister, Mathew Opoku Prempeh set up an an Interim Management Committee (IMC) at TOR as part of its ongoing mandate to conduct Technical and HR audits, and also access viable business partnerships for the Refinery when the leadership of the State Refinery was asked to step aside in July 2021.
The IMC have concluded that consistent product and financial losses need to be eradicated completely if the Refinery is to meet its vast potential.
Hence the IMC has committed to establishing a ‘zero tolerance for culture for unacceptable product losses’, commenced investigations into a number of product storage and transfer losses recorded in the company over a period of time.
Consequently, a number of workers who hold various positions of responsibility and accountability with respect to the transfer of products have been queried and interdicted pending the outcome of investigations.
The IMC, implored the public to be patient and not jump to any conclusions until investigations have been completed.
It stated that Individuals who are found not to responsible nor accountable for the financial and product losses would be fully restored while those found responsible and accountable in the chain of command with respect to product losses during storage, movement and transfer will be dealt with accordingly.
By Vincent Kubi