Energy Ministry Vow To Prosecute TOR Staff Who Stole ¢10.4m Cable And Gas Oil

The Energy Ministry says it will prosecute the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) staff behind the disappearance of thousands of litres of gas oil and electrical cables if they’re found culpable.

Findings of a probe by an interim management committee into the operations of TOR revealed electrical cables from the refinery’s storehouse worth more than ¢10 million have disappeared.

Also, 105,000 litres of Gas oil belonging to a BDC client is reported missing.

This came to light after an audit geared towards resolving the refinery’s consistent product and financial losses to enable TOR to meet its full potential.

The Interim Management explained that the affected staff “who hold various positions of responsibility and accountability concerning the transfer of products have been queried and interdicted pending the outcome of investigations.”

Public Relations Officer at the Energy Ministry, Kwasi Obeng-Fosu, indicated that they are waiting for the completion of investigations to determine their next line of action.

He told JoyNews that the committee’s mandate is to hand over the finding to the Energy Ministry for onward submission to the President.

Mr Obeng-Fosu added that “these are legal issues. So we’ll go to the court, and the court will decide.”

“You know you cannot misappropriate public funds or issues of such nature and be handled in any other way apart from the legal means,” he told JoyNews’ Evans Mensah.

Meanwhile, Chief Executive Officer of Bulk Oil Distributors, Senyo Horsi, says the disappearance of the litres of gas reflects the mismanagement of petroleum products at TOR.

However, TOR’s Interim Management Committee assured that staff who are exonerated in the process will be recalled.

Three other cases of product losses are also being probed as part of the audit, which includes the loss of Naphtha to a BDC client.

Source: myjoyonline