Legal practitioner Kwaku Azar has provided a breakdown of the Office of the Special Prosecutor’s charges against the former Chief Executive Officer of the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) and some persons.
According to him, between 2022 and 2024, top officials at the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) allegedly illegally collected over ₵280 million from Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) and fuel transporters”.
He indicated that these companies were misled or coerced into paying fake “regulatory fees.” Refusing to pay risked losing licenses.
However, the money didn’t go into any government account or the UPPF. It went straight into private pockets.
He pointed out that the case is not about how much is currently in the UPPF or whether it has increased, indicating that it’s about how much was supposed to be there but never got there.
What is the UPPF?
The Unified Petroleum Pricing Fund (UPPF) helps keep fuel prices the same in every corner of Ghana, from Accra to Zuarungu, by paying transporters who send fuel to far-off areas.
How the Money Was Allegedly Spent?
On how the money was spent, Prof. Kwaku Azar said they allegedly set up fake companies like Propnest, Kel Logistics, and Kings Energy as conduits through which the stolen money was laundered into:
Real Estate:
7 houses from Clifton Homes at ₵9.6M 3 homes from Archgate at ₵2.35M Land + houses from Agyenkwart at ₵32.7M Lashibi land at ₵1.7M
Trucks (Zonda Tec):
₵ 450K (2022), ₵5.2M (2023), ₵29.7M (2024)
Luxury Car:
2023 Mercedes-Benz GLE 450 – ₵ 1.78M
Fuel Stations:
₵ 24.5M on station construction
Why it matters:
This is strategic, large-scale looting of a public fund that should help Ghanaians afford fuel.
While you struggled to pay at the pump, others were allegedly buying Benzes & mansions and using shell companies to hide it all.
Caution
These are allegations. The accused are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of competent jurisdiction.
But we must ask, how long can we afford to let public funds become private fortunes?
PS: Yɛde post no bɛto hɔ. Yɛnyɛ comprehension consultants.
Da Yie!
-mynewsgh
