The Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation (BOST) reports that National Security is actively pursuing the directors of 44 oil marketing companies that have ‘disappeared’ with nearly GH₵60 million in unpaid levies.
These companies collected levies and margins from selling petroleum products but did not pass the funds on to BOST, now known as Bulk Energy Storage and Transportation Limited (BEST).
The Chief Executive Officer of BEST, Dr Edwin Provencal, stated that national security is actively tracking down the directors of these companies for prosecution.
“They set up companies, they rack up the BOST margin, they use it for their personal interest and they kill the company,” he lamented.
He explained that when petroleum products are sold, Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) are required to collect the BOST margin and remit it to the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), which then forwards it to BOST.
However, these OMCs collected the funds but failed to do so.
“When it goes on for a while, the company is closed down, you can’t find the directors. As we speak, those 44, we are in court with about 26 of them for them to pay the money.
“And then for the rest, the companies are dead. Hopefully, with the power of government, we can raise the veil and go after the directors. We have escalated to [Economic and Organised Crime Office] EOCO, we’ve had some debt collection company with us,” he said.
Dr. Provencal stated that BEST is working diligently to recover the funds.
Since this is government money, he emphasized that there is a strong case for lifting the veil of incorporation to hold the directors personally accountable.