NPA Denies Rent Allowance Payment

National Petroleum Authority (NPA) says it has not paid rent advance to any of its staff including the CEO, Mr. Hassan Tampuli.

According to the Authority, the allegation being peddled is scandalous, malicious and wicked lies calculated at tarnishing the hard-won reputation and uncommon integrity of the Chief Executive.

Below is the full statement released by NPA:

The attention of the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), has been drawn to a news article with the above headline, which appeared in the New Vanguard and the online portal www.thenewstateman.com on 4th September, 2018 and widely shared on various Social Media platforms.

We state without any equivocation that, on no occasion has the Chief Executive been a recipient of any rent advance or paid any amount of money as rent advance.

The allegation is scandalous, malicious and wicked lies calculated at tarnishing the hard-won reputation and uncommon integrity of the Chief Executive, which is built on truth.

For the avoidance of doubt, here are the facts regarding the accommodation of the Chief Executive:

Firstly, the NPA has NOT paid rent advance to any of its staff including the CEO, Mr. Hassan Tampuli.

Secondly, the Chief Executive has NOT paid monthly rent of $27,000 for any apartment anywhere in Accra or elsewhere.

As it pertains in the public service, where the Chief Executive is accommodated by the agency, he/she is not entitled to receive any allowance as rent. This practice pertains in NPA. In effect, not a pesewa has been paid to Mr. Tampuli as rent advance.

Again, the Authority has rented an apartment for the use of the Chief Executive as an OFFICIAL accommodation. The decision to rent an apartment for the Chief Executive was considered and approved by the Governing Board.

As a result of the Board’s decision to provide accommodation for the official use of the Chief Executive, accommodation allowance payable to the Chief Executive as part of his condition of service, was immediately discontinued.

This has resulted in a diminution of income to the Chief Executive.

On the allegation that the Chief Executive owns a couple of houses in Accra, we can only rely on the editor to furnish us with details of the said houses in Accra.

Again on the allegation of victimization, it is important for us to state for the records that, it is not and has never being the style of the Chief Executive to intimidate or victimize staff for whatever reasons.

There is perfect industrial harmony at the workplace and staff are encouraged at any given time to voice their concerns whatever it may be.

We wish to again state that, the story is MISLEADING, MALICIOUS AND WICKED LIES POORLY CRAFTED with the intention of destroying the reputation of the Chief Executive.

The attempt by these FACELESS CABAL and their ASSIGNS to FRUSTRATE him from DEALING RUTHLESSLY WITH ILLEGAL FUEL SMUGGLING SYNDICATES will not succeed.

Under his stewardship, the Chief Executive has confronted these NATION WRECKERS and in doing so, recovered MILLIONS OF CEDIS as tax revenue which would have gone into the personal pockets of such individuals.

According to the story, the Chief Executive has paid himself an amount of ¢15.5 billion as rent allowance for a year. It further said: “The NPA boss caused the NPA to make this payment to him in June this year after he took up residence in the plush Villagio apartment building which costs $27,000 a month.”

Again, it said Mr. Tampuli further paid himself a year advanced fee of ($27,000 X12 months) which is $324,000, and asked HIS ACCOUNTANT to pay him the Cedi equivalent at an exchange rate of $1 to GH C4.8 ), which amounted to GH ¢1,555,200.

We wish to state emphatically that, the Chief Executive remains RESOLUTE in pursuit of saboteurs who remain RESTLESS and DISTURBED by his unrelenting efforts to deal with criminality in the petroleum downstream sector.

We are by this rejoinder giving the editor of the newspaper or whatever media house that published the said story SEVEN DAYS to retract and apologize. This rejoinder is without prejudice to any legal action the Chief Executive may wish to take against the publishers of the allegation.

Signed 

Corporate Affairs Division