The Chief Executive Officer of Saltpond Offshore Producing Company Limited Ghana, Quincy Sintim-Aboagye is threatening legal action against US newspaper, Wall Street Journal, for publishing falsehood about the company’s operations.
The wholly Ghanaian owned oil firm operating in the country is reported to be under investigation by authorities in Washington, US for allegedly shipping stolen oil from Nigeria.
But speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show Monday, the CEO of the company rubbished the claims, calling the report a smear campaign designed to undermine the company.
Nigerian online portal thisdaylive.com on Sunday August 24, alleged the United States government had begun “investigation into crude oil shipments from Saltpond platform, a small oil facility off the coast of Ghana, due to strong suspicion that some of Nigeria’s stolen oil may be exported through the facility.”
The probe is said to be part of the broader enquiry into how Nigeria’s crude oil is being stolen and exported by local and international syndicates.
Mr. Sintim-Aboagye however dismissed the publication as complete fabrications.
According to him, the publication is being spearheaded by persons he said are incurably envious of his company which is “the only oil and gas company owned and operated by the black man in the world”.
“We have been in operation in Ghana long before Ghana became an exporter of commercial oil…
He said the seizure of an oil tanker in Nigeria with suspicious crude oil does not incriminate Saltpond Oil in any way. “It’s almost like you sit in a taxi and it leaves with your goods and later the taxi is used to transport stolen items and you are told you used that taxi for stolen items,” he explained.
“This is a smear campaign by an unscrupulous being trying to destroy the reputation of the company so that our licenses would be seized,” he alleged.
He added: “We have become like a punching bag and it’s about time we stop. We just don’t like Ghanaians to prosper”.
Source: Joy Online
