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 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.
He said the NPA had engaged Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie to establish a specialised court to handle offences involving petroleum service providers and facilitate the prosecution of those found culpable.
Mr Tamakloe cited Legislative Instrument (L.I.) 2251, which outlines the penalties for petroleum product diversion under the National Petroleum Authority Act.
Under the regulations, anyone convicted of diverting petroleum products faces a fine of between 2,500 and 5,000 penalty units, imprisonment for two to five years, or both.
He said the designation of the Achimota Court would provide a dedicated venue for hearing such cases and help ensure the effective enforcement of the regulations.
