Former MD Boss of the Bulk Oil Storage and Trasportation Company Ltd. (BOST); Kingsley Kwame Awuah Darko, will have to soon face officials at the Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO) for grilling over some alleged shady transactions conducted during his term in office.
Awuah Darko who has previously been accused of spearheading some corrupt deals during his tenure as MD in the firm has in a recent development, been reported to have made some “questionable payments and withdrawals” from an account believed to be the Former Chief-of-Staff’s “sundry account” while in office, running into several millions of Ghana cedis.
EOCO issued the invitation to the former MD Tuesday July 4 after his name was cited in connection with the said withdrawals.
The former BOST MD has been named by the NPP in several instances as having been involved or spearheaded some ‘dubious’ transactions while in office.
He was recently in the news for allegedly fronting activities that led to the sale of some large quantities of contaminated fuel to unlicensed companies during his days as MD at BOST. This revelation made by Majority in Parliament follows allegations levelled against the current Managing Director at the company; Alfred Obeng Boateng on the sale of contaminated fuel to two unlicensed companies in the country.
They in addition hinted of available evidence to prove that Mr. Awuah Darko orchestrated the transfers of some monies (over GHC 40 million) to the presidency under the John-Mahama administration under unusual circumstances. The transfers were reportedly made from the BOST account at the time between August 2015 and January 2017.
He was also said to have indulged in some rotten deals during his term in office under the erstwhile NDC government. The office of the Presidency and the former Chief of Staff allegedly siphoned huge amounts of money under the watch of Mr. Awuah Darko; monies spanning GHC 2.5million and GHC 3.5 million virtually every two weeks all under the guise of security transfers, amounting to a total sum of GHC 40.5 million.
BOST reportedly transferred ¢3.5 million in August 28; released GH¢3 million on October 2, the same year and another GH¢3 million on November 12, 2015 while on December 23 the same year, GH¢20 million was transferred.
On February 05, March 15, April 15 and May 13 – all in 2016 – GH¢2.5 million on each occasion was transferred by BOST while on June 09, July 15 and August 24 in the same year, GH¢3 million each was transferred from BOST.
Later in September 29 and November 17, in 2016, GH¢3.5 million each was transferred by BOST and the last batch on January 03, 2017, merely three days for exit of the Mahama-led government from office – BOST transferred GH¢3 million.
BOST, during the tenure of Mr. Awuah Darko, sold contaminated fuel to about 36 unlicensed entities and individuals and records showed that between March 05, 2015 and August 04, 2015, the previous BOST management sold 8,190,000 litres of contaminated fuel to 24 companies that were all unlicensed, as well as another 12,400.000 litres sold to other 25 unlicensed companies between January 16, 2016 and November 30, 2016.
Reports suggest that the price per litre sold by BOST under the then NDC government was lower than what was sold to the private entities under the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government.
Meanwhile, Alfred Obeng Boateng, BOST Managing Director has been exenorated of any wrongdoing in the recent sale of some 5 million litres of contaminated fuel by the BNI and the Energy Minister.
The Minister said BOST never erred in transacting that business with energy firm, Movenpiina.
According to Mr Agyarko, investigations so far conducted by the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI), the National Security and the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) on the contaminated products had established that the fuel had not spilled onto the retail market for sale to vehicle owners.