By Amin Kef Sesay
“It is a complete misnomer on the part of certain sections of the media, as investigations have revealed, to present the fact that there is an attempt to hood-wink the public over the obvious indication of a conspiracy to deprive SKM of its right to justice and fair treatment,” a senior citizen averred.
Findings have pointed in the direction that indeed it could be best described as a calculated blunder and a misrepresentation of the truism to state that NP-SL “has again lied to the public, through posts seen on social media over the transaction between Jaffer, Total and their company, and has deliberately confused it with the transaction with Leonoil for which the proprietor of SKM has sued Leonoil for in the High Court,”
Based on an intensive investigation mounted by this medium into allegations that there is an existing conspiracy between Leonoil and NP-SL Ltd to deprive the Chief Executive Officer of SKM, Jaffer Zegnir, of some quantity of fuel which the latter said it purchased , that the Chief Executive Officer, Kobi Walker, was part of a meeting held at his office to blacklist SKM, that the Board Chairman of NP-SL Ltd, mistakenly or erroneously said to be Tunde Cole, when the current Board Chairman is Mike Caroll, is bent on bullying SKM, that the son of Tunde Cole is the Managing Director of Leonopi have all been proven to be not only puerile but completely unfounded and baseless to the core laced with an ulterior motive to drag the name of a reputable company, the National Petroleum Sierra Leone Limited, to the mud. This ulterior motive, on the part of certain unscrupulous individuals, has indeed backfired.
As a matter of fact the thrust of this write-up is to establish the undiluted truism that there was and is no existing business transaction between Jaffer Zegnir, of SKM and the National Petroleum Sierra Leone Limited (NP-SL Ltd) which should warrant the petroleum marketing company (NP-SL Ltd) to honour an invoice purportedly issued by Leonoil for the supply of two consignments of petroleum products; PMS, 23,000 Litres and AGO, 20,000 Litres.
What should be registered at this particular juncture is the fact that the National Petroleum Sierra Leone Limited is an independent and credible indigenous company that conducts its petroleum transactions in a transparent manner and is not obliged to succumb to the dictates of any other petroleum marketing company operating within the country. If as it is being alleged that other companies were issued invoices at NP-Ltd terminal and they were honoured that does not mean it is obligatory on the part of NP-SL Ltd to honour that of Jagger’s if indeed it is questionable. It is simply discretionary on the part of NP-SL Ltd to enter into any business transaction or relationship with any other individual or institution and could not be coerced otherwise.
What this medium clearly understood was that allegedly SKM got a cue from certain PRA officials that prices will be increased on 4th March. As a result of that SKM deposited over 1.2 Billion Leones into Leonoil account hoping to make profit when the price change is effected.
However, it was stated that unfortunately he was unable to collect some of the products before the price change.
What this medium learnt was that based on the fact that NP-SL operates a bonded warehouse, regardless when the payment was made, as long as it was not uplifted before any price adjustment, a buyer or dealer will automatically uplift his or her product at the prevailing rate at the time of uplift.
Again it was understood that the difference is clearly Government taxes not profit to Leonoil.
What further was learnt was that invoices were issued to Jaffer to pick up products at NP.
However a close business partner of Jaffer stated that: “His uncertain ways of conducting business transactions may have influenced NP-SL to stay clear from him”.
It must be emphasized that NP-SL is under no obligation whatsoever to sell to either SKM or any other reseller if it chooses to do so.
Jaffa, it was understood, is angry because he was unable to make the profit he wanted as he is completely ignorant of the law.
A senior businessman opined that NP and Leonoil, being very decent corporate citizens, will not collude with anyone to steal the taxpayers’ money.
Again worthy of note is that it is indeed understandable that there must be a symbiotic relationship among petroleum marketing companies in this country but that does not mean that they do not have their institutional independence and principles as to how they conduct businesses.
Against such a backdrop, it is completely false as it is alleged by certain unscrupulous individuals that there exists a conspiracy between Leonoil and NP-SL Ltd to defraud or deprive the Chief Executive Officer of SKM, Jaffer Zeghir, the said quantity of petroleum products said to have been purchased from Total.
What must be understood at this material time is the fact that the National Petroleum-Sierra Leone Limited and Leonoil are two different companies that are competing, operating differently and there is no known arrangement which dictates that NP-SL Ltd must supply on behalf of another company, which in this context is Total -SL.
In other words, there is no laid down policy that in the case of any anomaly in the transactions between Total, as a marketing oil company, and any of its client it is the National Petroleum Sierra Leone Limited that should bear the liability or take up the responsibility of correcting that anomaly or impasse.
The crux of the whole matter is that Jaffer, said to be a regular customer of Leonoil purchased two consignments of petroleum products; PMS, 23,000 Litres and AGO, 20,000 Litres.
It was narrated that the invoices for the collection of the said products were then given to him and he was instructed by the Leonoil Commercial Manager to take the invoices to NP’s Kissy terminal for supply said to be a normal arrangement between both companies.
According to the allegation on presentation of the invoices at the NP Terminal at Kissy, the drivers of the tankers who presented them were told that Leonoil has been blacklisted and therefore will not be supplied any fuel.
What probably could have been plausible was that if Leonoil was not in possession of that quantity of petroleum products, which is seemingly likely, they should have bought same from NP-SL Ltd. The 1 million dollar question is: how could NP-SL Ltd comply when it is not certain that at the end of the day they will be paid by Total?
According to our investigation, the Chief Executive Officer of NP-SL, Kobi Walker, has reiterated that all the allegations are baseless.
What is clear is that SKM did business with Leonoil and there is no way it is incumbent on NP-SL to honour the client of another oil marketing company, whenever it present its own invoices for the supply of petroleum products.
It was later learnt that, Jaffer Zegnir, of SKM bought fuel from Leonoil but there was a delay in collecting and transporting the said quantity of fuel due to COVID-19 restrictions on travelling to the provinces.
However, when the situation relaxed somehow, he wanted to collect the fuel that he bought but was informed that market forces have changed, there has been an increase in the price of petroleum products and therefore he should pay additionally before the fuel could be released.
Confronted with this new situation he refused to succumb and Leonoil was obdurate to rescind its stance and the matter landed in a court of law for arbitration.
It is worthy of note that NP-SL Ltd is a very credible petroleum marketing company that has been in existence for quite a good number of years now, conducting its business transactions transparently and according to the business laws of the country.
The company’s shareholders and Management highly believe and operate in fair competition and to conduct its transactions transparently with the main objective of giving utmost satisfaction to its numerous and esteemed customers not only in this country but also in neighbouring Guinea, Liberia, Ivory Coast and The Gambia where it has a presence.
Not being a flight by night business entity it had and still continues to be held in high esteem and has been recognized as a true partner to national development as evident in the huge chunk of taxes it pays to Government, exclusively offering job opportunities to indigenes, thereby deepening the country’s Local Content Policy, rolling out its Corporate Social Responsibility to the fullest among other positive contributions it continues to contribute to human existence. The company plays according to the rules and has no ulterior motive of conducting businesses clandestinely.
The company is known as 1st for Customer Care and is doing everything within its purview to ensure that petroleum products are timely imported and marketed widely.
There is no iota of truth that NP-SL and Leonoil have teamed up to deprive Jaffer of SKM from getting the petroleum products said to have been paid for but not supplied.
Saying that the Ministry of Trade is siding one of the alleged conspirators against Jaffer is a serious indictment for which evidence must be adduced to justify.
But let it be reiterated that NP-SL is under no obligation to supply the aforementioned quantity of fuel to Jaffer of SKM; a simple plain fact that should not make certain individuals think that they have something clandestine and sinister to expose.
Investigations continue and more on this issue in future publications.
