The Achimota Court has been designated to handle cases involving the diversion of petroleum products, in a move aimed at strengthening the prosecution of offenders in Ghana’s downstream petroleum sector.
Chief Executive Officer of the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), Godwin Edudzi Tamakloe, disclosed this when he appeared before Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC).
He said the NPA had engaged Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie to establish a specialised court to deal with offences involving petroleum service providers and ensure that individuals found culpable are prosecuted.
Mr Tamakloe explained that the arrangement was intended to improve the enforcement of regulations governing the distribution and sale of petroleum products.
He cited Legislative Instrument (L.I.) 2251, which outlines the penalties for diverting petroleum products.
Under the regulations, anyone convicted of the offence faces a fine ranging from 2,500 to 5,000 penalty units, a prison sentence of between two and five years, or both.
Mr Tamakloe said assigning the cases to the Achimota Court would provide a dedicated venue for their adjudication and help strengthen compliance with the existing legal framework.
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