Fourteen management executives of the state-owned Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) have been interdicted for smuggling petroleum products worth over US$14million in the past nine years.
A three-member Interim Management Committee (IMC), chaired by Ing. Nobert Cormla-Djamposu Aku, uncovered the massive smuggling at the state oil refinery – spanning from 2012 – the B&FT can confirm from sources within the refinery.
After the recent dismissal of immediate past Managing Director of TOR Francis Boateng, and his Deputy, Ato Morrison, in June this year, the IMC was constituted by Energy Minister, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, to undertake technical and human resource audits and also to receive and assess viable local and international partnerships for the company.
The IMC, accordingly, has been working tirelessly and scrutinising transactions of the refinery, spanning operations undertaken in the last nine years (since 2012).
A document sighted by the B&FT from TOR has the names of Daniel Osei Appiah, Director for Finance; Julius Ogo, Resid Fluid Catalytic Cracking Department; Abraham Quayson, Head of Production; Christopher Boateng, Movement of Product Unit; Daniel Fugah, Kobina Takyi Koomson, Matthew Adu-Gyamfi and William Frimpong who form the Production Unit.
The rest are Emmanuel Tetteh Doku, Movement of Production Unit; Edmond Kojo Baiden, Movement of Product Unit; George Kweku Gaisie, Finance Department; Joseph Akure, Finance Department; Abu Osman, Distribution; and Victor Dekayie, Import and Export (Shipping), as persons complicit in running down the company’s fortunes.
The fourteen were interdicted on Tuesday, September 28, 2021.
Available information indicates that some of the managers, supervisors and union executives have appeared before the National Intelligence Bureau for the role they played in the refinery’s losses.
The IMC uncovered US$4.5million in losses at one department while uncovering US$10million losses in another department.
Meanwhile, huge imports have been contributing to the company’s rising debt – currently estimated to be more than US$340million as of last year, 2020.
TOR is also heavily indebted to the GRA, SSNIT, Ghana Water Company, the ECG and a host of other companies.
Background
In March this year, Energy Minister Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, addressing management and staff of the refinery at a durbar, said government will not hesitate in taking action against those whose activities are affecting growth of the company.
“TOR is not in a healthy state. And anyone working here – management or ordinary worker – who thinks his activity will not lead to the promotion of TOR should find himself a better place to work,” he warned.
In recent times, workers of the refinery have been up in arms with management and board of the company for failing to manage the refinery efficiently.
