The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has ordered Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) management to halt its proposed partnership arrangement with Tema Energy and Processing Limited (TEPL).
In a letter dated November 21, 2023, and issued to TOR’s Managing Director, Daniel Osei Appiah, the OSP stated, “It has commenced an analysis of the risk of corruption in respect of the proposed partnership.
“You are directed to immediately suspend the proposed partnership agreement, ongoing negotiations, operations, and all other ancillary activities arising out of and consequent upon the proposed partnership agreement until you are otherwise advised by the Special Prosecutor.”
The Special Prosecutor’s order comes in response to Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) employees’ protests against the partnership agreement with Torentco Asset Management Limited, now Tema Energy and Processing Limited.
The General Transport, Petroleum, and Chemical Workers Union of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) Ghana petitioned the Special Prosecutor on Monday, November 20, to look into the leasing deal between the Tema Oil Refinery and Torentco Asset Management Limited.
In a letter, the Workers Union wrote: “We wish to request that your highly esteemed office investigate and intervene in the ongoing lease arrangement of Tema Oil Refinery to Torentco Asset Management Limited, now Tema Energy and Processing Limited, with the same individuals involved.”
The Transport Workers Union believes “the actions of the individuals behind Tema Energy and Processing Limited seek to induce workers of TOR with 20% of its shares through misrepresentation of workers in an entity by the name “TOR Workers Charity Trust” that never existed nor heard of at TOR, apart from the five individual directors and direct beneficiaries of this trust.”
They voiced concern that the country will be short-changed as a result of the deal’s compromise of the TOR Board of Directors.
“We are tempted to believe that the BoDs have been compromised in order to short-change Ghana.” Otherwise, why would the Boards of Directors be so steadfast in the face of all these warning flags? Even when entities such as Falcon American Oil and Legacy Capital approached TOR management with very lucrative and compelling proposals, the Board of Directors and Management remained steadfast in ensuring that, despite all red flags, they would lease TOR to Torentco/TEPL for six (6) years.”
They went on to say, “In the spirit and letter of the whistle-blowers’ Acts, we want to officially petition your outfit as our last option, having written to the Ministry of Energy, the Parliamentary Select Committee on Mines and Energy, SIGA, the Public Procurement Authority, the Ministry of Justice and the Attorney General department and the Ministry of Finance for their respective intervention for the prevention of a possible replica of ECG/PDS scandal.”
Read statement below;
