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Oil Marketing Companies Deserved Harsh Punishments For Cheating-Duncan Amoah

  • SOURCE: | qwesa2big
  • Executive Director for Chamber of Petroleum Consumers in Ghana (COPEC), Duncan Amoah has accused the Ghana Standards Authority for treating ‘cheating’ oil marketing companies with kids gloves.

    According to Amoah, the GSA should have administer very severe sanctions against fuel stations who were identified to have cheated customers in order to serve as precedent for others to learn from.

    The Executive Director was speaking to host of Abusua Nkommo, Kwame Adinkra in reaction to sanctions meted out to about fifty seven oil marketing companies.

    Fifty-seven oil marketing companies (OMCs), in the Greater Accra Region were sanctioned by the Ghana Standards Authority for engaging in various infractions detrimental to the interest of consumers.

    They were fined a total of GH¢261,000 for serving customers with lower volumes of fuel, using non-approved GSA seals and breaking GSA seals meant to stop cheating at the pumps.

    45 of the OMCs who served their customers less fuel than the customers purchased were fined GH¢5,000 each.

    Ten of them who used pumps not verified by the GSA, were fined GH¢3,000 each while two OMCs who were found to have broken nuzzles were fined GH¢3,000 each for that infraction.

    But Duncan Amoah argues the punishment was not detrimental enough, although the idea to enforce the law against them was commendable.

    He adds, the Ghana Standards Authority must extend its checks to other regions of the country, saying the Chamber believes that some OMCs in other regions are also engaged in some infractions.

    “We believe that indeed for an outlet that has adjusted pumps and is shortchanging Ghanaians for about GH¢400 cedis daily, and making profits of almost GH¢12,000 every month, and so if an outlet has done over 3-4 months of these and you go surcharging them GH¢5,000 and GH¢ 3,000 cedis, it is woefully inadequate to prevent them from coming back,” he said.

    “It is a good news that the laws are been applied effectively, I am happy that the GSA has been able to do this, although we would have wished that it was extended to all parts of the country.”

    Amoah adds, “we believe that other fuel stations elsewhere in Ghana are engaged in some of these activities and they have to be brought to book.”

    “I will also challenge the Ghana Standards Authority to step up its surveillance in the country because some OMCs tamper with their pumps to cheat customers after 5:00pm, when they are certain that officials of the GSA have closed and do not conduct checks on them.”

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