Mines and Energy Committee in Parliament is expected to meet GNPC officials Tuesday to answer for controversial payments it made to former Managing Directors and two other former officials of the company.

The meeting is expected to come off by 5pm.

GNPC confirmed the payment after Adansi Asokwa MP KT Hammond  first went public with his claims that payments to the former top executives at least 15 years after they left office was “illegal” and “criminal”

Former Deputy Energy Minister K.T Hammond had vowed to get parliament to look into the matter.

The GNPC Board which took the decision is chaired by Felix Addo  and includes Kyeretwie Opoku, Abraham Amabila, Awulae Attibrukusu and Worlanyo Amoah.

The confusion has deepened after a GNPC statement from the Board  meant to clarify the matter, said it paid ex-gratia and in another breath called it End of Service Benefits.

L-R: Nana Boakye Asafu-Adjaye,Tsatsu Tsikata, Esther Cobbah,Benjamin Dagadu ( the former GNPC quartet) were paid monies

According to the GNPC, the aforementioned persons served it for periods ranging between 12 and 21 years, adding that “they were removed from office in 2000 and 2001 under circumstances that did not allow for the payment of their respective accumulated separation entitlements.”

“The Board of Directors of the Corporation, after in-depth review of the situation, concluded that the payment of the end-of-service benefits to these management personnel, who had made invaluable contributions to the development of the Corporation, is a valid obligation.  The Board took the position that meeting this obligation, however belatedly, is the right thing to do.

K.T. Hammond  has however maintained that “legally, there is a Limitations Act that details that any claims after six years do not hold.

“Who took the decision? Tsikata, in the first place, should not have been entitled to anything. He didn’t respect the authority of the then GNPC board. He took the law into his own hands and squandered money.”