Freddie Blay Denies Allegations Of Mismanagement At GNPC, Refuses To Resign

• GNPC Board Chairman Freddie Blay has denied allegations that the deal with Petro SA is fraught with irregularities that could short-change Ghana
• According to him, the PetroSA deal was clean and was signed on behalf of government with a clean conscience
• The GNPC boss told Citi News that he has had a conversation with President Nana Akufo-Addo and under the circumstances, he could not resign for any wrong

Freddie Blay, Board Chairman of the state-owned Ghana National Petroleum (GNPC), has denied allegations of mismanagement and bad a call in an oil field deal with South African oil company PetroSA.

He told Citi FM that his dealings at GNPC have been done with a clear conscience, especially regarding the sale of the 50% interest in Jubilee Holdings Limited (JOHL) to PetroSA.

"Possibly, I could be fired, but I don’t see any reason why they are saying I should resign about this issue. I have done nothing wrong," he said.

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He disclosed that he has spoken to President Nana Akufo-Addo about the issue already.

"We haven’t gotten to where he will ask for his job back. It is not about convincing the president, the law will speak for itself and the law will talk and there are few documents on the agreement," he defended the PetroSA deal.

Energy minister Matthew Opoku Prempeh slams Freddi Blay

The comments by Blay follow energy minister Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh's critical comments against the GNPC Board Chairman over the PetroSA deal.

The energy minister said the deal in its current state will not serve the revenue interest of Ghana.

The energy minister is convinced that GNPC's deal with PetroSA will not benefit Ghana. The minister wants the GNPC Board Chairman to withdraw the deal immediately.

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"The Corporation should cease any further negotiations with PetroSA on matters of PetroSA’s intended pre-emption of the JOHL stakes,' a Joy News report quotes the minister.

29 CSOs demand Freddie Blay's removal as GNPC Board Chair

Also, over the PetroSA deal and other allegations of fiscal recklessness, at least 29 Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have called for the removal of the influential NPP stalwart.

The CSOs also want the acting Chief Executive Officer, Opoku Ahweneeh Danquah, sacked over allegations of mismanagement at GNPC.

The CSOs said in a statement that both Blay and Danquah have “become a threat to Ghana’s interest in the petroleum sector”.

Freddie Blay represents 3 alleged Chinese illegal miners

Meanwhile, YEN.com.gh reported in a separate story that the immediate past National Chairman of the governing NPP was part of the defence team in the Aisha Huang trial last year.

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Mr Blay's law chamber defended the three other Chinese nationals suspected to be accomplices of Aisha Huang.

The four who are standing trial for illegal mining offences were denied bail again when the case was called on October 11, 2022.

Source: YEN.com.gh