BOST Buys GH₵234, 000 iPhones For Top Executives

…Says GH₵28million Claim Was Typo Error

By Gifty Arthur

The Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation Limited Company (BOST) has vehemently denied reports that the company spent an eye-popping GH₵28million to purchase advanced phones for its corporate executives.

Even though BOST admitted buying the iPhones 13 Pro Max phones, numbering 18, in May 2022, it said the total amount was nowhere near GH₵28million quoted, but rather GH₵234, 000, equivalent of (₵2.34 billion old cedis).

According to the company, this amount further went up to GH₵285,412.00 after taxes were paid. This means that, each iPhone was bought at a cost of over GH₵15,800.

Details of the said transaction, which was contained in a procurement contract agreement that got leaked and went viral on social media over the weekend, were described as yet another wasteful expenditure by a public institution.

This is coming at the time several public health facilities are lamenting over lack of enough beds at the wards to accommodate patients, while most second cycle schools are struggling for space to absorb students and, on daily basis, appealing to corporate organizations for support.

Justification

But in a swift rebuttal on Saturday last, the company, headed by Edwin Provencal as chief executive (CEO), said the report was misleading, but blamed the quoted GH₵28million figure on a typing mistake on the part of the contracting company.

The company explained that, the reason for the purchase of the devices was to equip the team to stay in touch with the management information and business intelligence systems of the company for efficient decision making.

In a statement issued on Saturday, September 30, 2023, BOST insists, there was no any wrongdoing for purchasing the devices and, therefore, asked the public to disregard such reports, describing it as “erroneous and mischievous.”

“The Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation Limited Company has noted with dismay a section of a procurement report making rounds in the traditional and social media space claiming the company bought 18 iPhones at a cost of Twenty-Eight Million, Five Hundred and Forty-One Thousand, Two Hundred and Sixty-One Ghana Cedis (GHS28,541,261.00) for some critical officers of the company.

“The company bought eighteen (18) pieces of iPhone 13 Pro Max phones for our corporate executives in May 2022. The total cost of the phones stood at Two Hundred and Thirty-Four Thousand Ghana Cedis (234,000.00) grossed up for taxes at Two Hundred and Eighty-Five Thousand, Four Hundred and Twelve Ghana Cedis, Sixteen Pesewas (GHS285,412.16),” the company stated.

“The Twenty-Eight Million, Five Hundred and Forty-One Thousand, Two Hundred and Sixty-One Ghana Cedis (GHS28, 541,261.00) in the report may be due to a typographical error of placing the dot (.) two steps to the right which on the face of the document converted the GHS285, 412.61 to GHS28, 541,261.00),” it added.

BOST said the amount is captured in the financial reports of the company and the Auditor General, who audits the company, at least over the past three years, vetted the decision and the value and made no adverse findings about same.

The last time such allegation was made a public institution was few months ago when the Minority in Parliament accused the Bank of Ghana (BoG) of using GH₵2 million on gold watches for it retiring staff.

The watches were purchased for 72 staff who had served 30 years and above and were due for retirement this year and next year were to benefit as part of their retirement package.

The watches which were being bought from a Swiss Watch Company, comprised 23.18 karat ladies’ gold watches and 48 karat gents’ ones.

Below Is Published, The Full Statement From BOST

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE RE: BOST BUYS EIGHTEEN (18) IPHONES AT TWENTY-EIGHT MILLION GHANACEDIS (GHS28 MILLION)

Accra-September 30, 2023-The Bulk Energy Storage and Transportation Limited Company has noted with dismay a section of a procurement report making rounds in the traditional and social media space claiming the company bought 18 iPhones at a cost of Twenty-Eight Million, Five Hundred and Forty-One Thousand, Two Hundred and Sixty-One Ghana Cedis (GHS28,541,261.00) for some critical officers of the company.

We would like to respond to the misinformation as follows:

1. The company bought eighteen (18) pieces of iPhone 13 Pro Max phones for our corporate executives in May 2022.

2. The total cost of the phones stood at Two Hundred and Thirty-Four Thousand Ghana Cedis (234,000.00) grossed up for taxes at Two Hundred and Eighty-Five Thousand, Four Hundred and Twelve Ghana Cedis, Sixteen Pesewas (GHS285,412.16).

3. The amount is captured in the financial reports of the company and the Auditor General who audits the company, at least over the past three years, vetted the decision and the value and made no adverse findings about same.

4. The reason for the purchase of the devices was to equip the team to stay in touch with the management information and business intelligence systems of the company for efficient decision making.

In the petroleum storage and transportation space, a split second can make the difference between success and failure. The results so far attest to the efficiency of the systems put in place which includes the access points for key members of the team to access processed information for efficient decision making.

5. The Twenty-Eight Million, Five Hundred and Forty-One Thousand, Two Hundred and Sixty-One Ghana Cedis (GHS28,541,261.00) in the report may be due to a typographical error of placing the dot(.) two steps to the right which on the face of the document converted the GHS285,412.61 to GHS28,541,261.00

6. The public is hereby entreated to ignore the claim that the company bought eighteen (18) phones at 28 million. It is both erroneous and mischievous.

7. The information is available on the website of the Public Procurement Authority through the link below https://tenders.ppa.gov.gh/contracts/12301

8. We would urge our stakeholders who stumble upon bits and pieces of information on the company to reach out to the Corporate Communications Department for any clarification before proceeding to make such statements which in the end could amount to misleading the public. This is unpardonable in a right to information regime where Ministries, Departments and Agencies, MDAs, are by law required to provide information stakeholders may require for their purposes.

9. May God bless our homeland Ghana

Source: Anchorghana.com