‘No Rent Advance Paid To NPA Boss’

Alhassan Tampuli

The National Petroleum Authority (NPA) yesterday parried a social media allegation reportedly culled from a non-existent New Vanguard newspaper that the authority’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO),  Alhassan Tampuli, had rented a ¢15.5 billion ($27,000) accommodation.

The social media rumour spread like wildfire across various fronts, but unfortunately for the originators of the fabrication the amount quoted for the so-called accommodation did not sound plausible.

“We state without any equivocation that on no occasion has the Chief Executive Officer been a recipient of any rent advance or paid any amount of money as rent advance. The allegation is scandalous, malicious and wicked lies calculated at tarnishing the hard-won reputation and uncommon integrity of the Chief Executive Officer, which is built on truth,” a statement from the NPA yesterday pointed out.

The NPA, which debunked the report, pointed out that “the NPA has NOT paid rent advance to any of its staff, including the CEO, Mr. Hassan Tampuli.

“Secondly, the Chief Executive Officer has NOT paid monthly rent of $27,000 for any apartment anywhere in Accra or elsewhere.’

“As it pertains in the public service, the NPA explained that “where the Chief Executive Officer is accommodated by the agency, he or she is not entitled to receive any allowance as rent. This practice pertains in NPA. In effect, not a pesewa has been paid to Mr. Tampuli as rent advance. Again, the Authority has rented an apartment for the use of the Chief Executive as an official accommodation.”

The decision to rent an apartment for the CEO, the statement said, was considered and approved by the governing board, adding that the board’s decision to provide accommodation for the official use of the Chief Executive Officer, having been acknowledged ‘accommodation allowance payable to the Chief Executive Officer as part of his condition of service, was immediately discontinued.”

This development, the statement went, resulted in a diminution of the income due the CEO.

Regarding the gossip that the Chief Executive Officer owns a couple of houses in Accra, the statement pointed out “we can only rely on the editor to furnish us with details of the said houses in Accra. Again on the allegation of victimization, it’s important for us to state for the records that it’s not and has never been the style of the Chief Executive Officer to intimidate or victimize staff for whatever reasons,” adding that there is perfect industrial harmony at the workplace and staff are encouraged at any given time to voice their concerns whatever they may be.”

The statement also debunked the allegation that  Mr. Tampuli paid himself a year advance fee of $324,000, which ($27,000 X 12 months), and asked his accountant to pay him the cedi equivalent at an exchange rate of $1 to GH¢4.8, which amounted to GH¢1,555,200.

 

Vanguard Disclaimer

Meanwhile, it has been established that there is no newspaper called the New Vanguard, which the story has been attributed to.

A disclaimer issued by the Editor-in-Chief of The Vanguard Newspaper, Osbed Lartey said “For the records there is no newspaper called The New Vanguard. Such news item was created on a portal by faceless characters for their political mischief. I am the Editor-In-Chief of The Vanguard, a paper with over two decades of unblemished record.”

“The New Vanguard does not provide any identity or author to authenticate its credibility,” the disclaimer said.

 

By A.R. Gomda

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