Policy analyst, Mr. Kofi Bentil says the absence of clear laws regulating Ghana’s emerging oil sector could have constrained the government from slapping punitive sanctions on KOSMOS energy. Three days ago, US based KOSMOS announced that the government had dropped all criminal and civil charges initiated against it in the wake of a number of developments including the waiver of a GHS40 million fine imposed on it for three environmental accidents between December last year and March this year. Energy Minister Dr. Joe Oteng Agyei explained that the decision was informed by the President J.E.A. Mills' quest to ensure investors are not scared off. For many, the u-turn by the government especially the waiver of the fine on KOSMOS for spilling mud into the sea is shocking. But Kofi Bentil told Joy Business that given the complexity of negotiations in the oil sector, the government couldn’t have acted differently. “What we are looking for is to be able to get our oil out. We should not go nitpicking and we should go chasing every little thing if that can potentially hurt the big picture and I am by no means saying that we should allow people to do anything that they want,” he said. He said there was no clarity on what law KOSMOS violated in the first place to warrant the sanctions that were imposed on it. Source: Joy Business/Ghana