We don’t have the power to punish perpetrators of diversion– Pre-mix Committee

The Chairman of the National Pre-mix Fuel committee, Nii Lantey Bannerman, has said his outfit does not have the power to sanction persons who divert subsidized premix fuel meant for fishermen to other areas to be sold to industries.

According to him, only the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) can sanction or withdraw the licenses of the Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) who perpetuate such acts.

The NPA has only complained about massive diversions of pre-mix fuel loaded from the Tema Oil Refinery, leaving fishermen who are supposed to receive the fuel stranded.

Per the NPA’s numerous letters written to the National Premix Committee since the beginning of 2017, it has been established that premix fuel consignments loaded from the Tema Oil Refinery, were not delivered to the intended destinations indicated on the invoices and returns of the OMCs.

This comes on the back of the country’s dwindling fish stock which has compelled government to import over 600,000 metric tonnes of fish annually.

But speaking on Monday over the development, the Chairman of the Pre-mix Fuel Committee, Nii Lantey Bannerman, seemed helpless, and would not take any blame for the situation, although landing beach committees under its control are found issuing voices even without receiving the consignments.

Nii Lantey Bannerman however called on the NPA to deal with the perpetrators.

“At the end of the day, the onus lies on the NPA to sanction. If you look at it well, the penalties charged go to the NPA. So we made it clear to the NPA that either they strip the OMCs of their licenses or prosecute. That thing doesn’t lie with us. It lies with the NPA as the regulator.”

“From where we sit, we don’t have the power to prosecute, we don’t even have the power to take on these OMCs, it lies with the NPA to do that. That mandate has been given to them, and we are executing is expected of us,” he stressed.

Some of the diversions were legal

Mr. Bannerman also noted that, some of the diversions captured by the NPA are as a result of re-allocation, but said such instances are negligible compared to the magnitude of the diversions.

“There are re-allocations that also happen, and if NPA doesn’t update its system on time, it is captured as diversion. But we have records to show that some of them we issued reallocation because at the time of sending the fuel, some other area might be in dire need of it. It’s very negligible,” he added.

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