Ghana: NPA Granted Powers to Prosecute Oil Supply Chain Crimes

12 June 2023
Ghanaian Times (Accra)

The National Petroleum Authority (NPA) has been given the prosecutorial powers by the Attorney General (AG) to prosecute crimes in the oil supply chain in the country.

The Executive Instrument (EI) 378, which the Authority obtained in 2020, is to enable the NPA to ensure successful prosecution of cases in the petroleum downstream industry and stem the tide of crime in the sector.

The Legal Manager at the Legal Directorate of NPA, Ms Farida Ali-Musah, made this known at a media engagement in Cape Coast on Friday.

She explained that hitherto, the NPA relied on the AG and the police for prosecution of cases.

Ms Ali-Musah said some of the cases were thrown out of courts for lack of prosecution.

Besides, she said, since the establishment of NPA in 2005 by Act 691, the industry had witnessed great evolution.

Therefore, she said, it was crucial for the Authority to have the prosecutorial powers to enhance its regulatory mandate.

Ms Ali-Musah mentioned operating without NPA certified licenced, misapplication of the prescribed petroleum pricing formula and tampering with Bulk Road Vehicle (BRV) tracking and volume monitoring as some of the crimes that would be prosecuted.

Others are false statements and withholding of material information, obstruction or interference with investigation and selling unmarked fuel.

Some of the crimes would attract sentences between five and 10 years.

Ms Ali-Musah said the NPA had started stakeholder consultations to pave the way for the start of the prosecution process.

Read the original article on Ghanaian Times.

Tagged:
Copyright © 2023 Ghanaian Times. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.

AllAfrica publishes around 500 reports a day from more than 100 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals, representing a diversity of positions on every topic. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct.

Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica. To address comments or complaints, please Contact us.