Gambiaj.com – (BANJUL, The Gambia) – The Director General of the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA), Dr. Njogu Bah, testified before the National Assembly yesterday regarding the controversial importation and sale of fuel from a Russian ship, a deal allegedly carried out under dubious circumstances. The inquiry is examining the involvement of several companies, including Ultimate Biege Logistics, Apogee FZC, and Creed Energy Limited.

In his testimony, Dr. Bah revealed that Ultimate Biege had applied for a license to engage in petroleum importation in The Gambia. However, during the application review, PURA discovered that the company was already involved in illegal petroleum supply chain operations. The company’s account at Ecobank reportedly held over D50 million from these activities.

“On October 6, 2023, we imposed a fine of D500,000 on them and ordered them to cease all petroleum supply operations,” Dr. Bah informed the committee. He added that Ultimate Biege denied any illegal activities, citing a government policy allowing international depositors to store petroleum products in The Gambia without a license.

Committee member Hon. Kebba Lang Fofana questioned the delay in enforcing the fine, to which Dr. Bah responded that a government policy issued by the Ministry of Petroleum on October 30, 2024, had complicated matters. PURA Senior Official Ebou Nget explained that the policy had tied the regulator’s hands, delaying enforcement until August 14, 2024, when PURA sent a letter to Ultimate Biege demanding payment of the fine or face legal action. The fine remains unpaid.

The inquiry also heard from Emma Mendy, Director of Legal, Licensing, and Enforcement at PURA, who revealed that the Authority was not consulted about the new policy, which hindered their regulatory efforts. She confirmed that PURA had raised concerns with its board and highlighted the challenges posed by the Ministry of Petroleum.

The companies under investigation are accused of importing and selling approximately 36,935.614 metric tons of fuel from a Russian oil ship without paying taxes, and are also implicated in allegations of bribery to senior officials to overlook these irregularities.

Source: Standard Newspaper