The Executive Director of the Institute of Energy Security (IES), Nana Amoasi VII, has described as ‘thievery’ the Finance Ministry’s 10-year contract with Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Limited (SML).

This comes after Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Limited was awarded an additional contract worth up to ¢24 million per month.

The contract calls for monitoring and reporting on fuel product diversion and dilution, as well as overall noncompliance in the petroleum industry.

Notably, the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) was already in charge of these responsibilities.

The firm admitted to the Fourth Estate investigators that they made false claims about its services to the state as it relates to alleged savings.

In an interview on Joy FM Top Story on Monday, December 18, Nana Amoasi VII stated that contracting a private firm to undertake duties the NPA is already doing is purposely to create wealth for a few people.

He also shared the view that government going on that tangent could also be a result of it not trusting the existing system.

"We [IES] believe that the latter may be the truth. That this is designed to create loot and share,” he added.

Read more: https://www.myjoyonline.com/10-year-questionable-contract-by-finance-minister/

He explained that there are existing systems in place to check product quantity.

Nana Amoasi VII added that “the NPA exists to carry out such a mandate, Custom Excise and Preventive Service also exist to crosscheck the quantity of product that comes into the system. And so this is a clear duplication of task.”

“Something that we have paid for to be done for the country, you go and contract somebody else to come and put piezometer to check. This is thievery and nothing else,” he insisted.

Meanwhile, the Special Prosecutor has been petitioned to probe the Finance Ministry, The Ghana Revenue Authority and Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Limited over the questionable $1 billion contract for revenue assurance in the petroleum downstream, upstream, and gold mining sectors.

The Editor-in-Chief of The Fourth Estate, Manasseh Azure Awuni who filed the petition explained that the OSP had assured that something would be done about it.

According to him, the petition is to investigate the deal for corruption and possible breach of procurement law.

Reacting to his, the Ranking Member on Mines and Energy Committee, John Jinapor says he is happy the Special Prosecutor has been petitioned to probe the contract indicating that the Minority side will also determine their next line of action.