Source: newsthemegh.com
The Attorney General (AG) has granted the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) prosecutorial authority to pursue cases involving crimes in the nation’s oil supply chain.
The NPA will be able to ensure successful prosecution of cases in the petroleum downstream business and stop the flow of crime in the sector thanks to the Executive Instrument (EI) 378, which the Authority got in 2020.
At a media event in Cape Coast on Friday, Ms. Farida Ali-Musah, the legal manager at the NPA’s legal directorate, said this.
She stated that up until this point, the NPA had relied on the AG and the police to pursue cases.
Some of the cases, according to Ms. Ali-Musah, were dismissed from the courts for lack of prosecution.
She added that the business has seen significant evolution since Act 691, which established the NPA, was passed in 2005.
She argued that in order to strengthen its regulatory role, the Authority must include prosecutorial authority.
The misuse of the regulated petroleum price formula, operating without an NPA-certified license, and tampering with Bulk Road Vehicle (BRV) tracking and volume monitoring were all listed by Ms. Ali-Musah as offences that would be prosecuted.
Others include making false statements and omitting important information, hindering or interfering with investigations, and selling fuel that has not been labelled.
Some of the crimes would result in prison terms of five to ten years.
In order to prepare for the beginning of the prosecution process, Ms. Ali-Musah stated that the NPA has started stakeholder engagements.