Monrovia – President George Manneh Weah has given a one-week ultimatum to the Liberia Petroleum and Refining Company Managing Director, Marie Urey Coleman to produce a status report on remittance petroleum products.
The decision follows Madam Coleman’s failure to provide a report to the Office of The President, following a 90-day remittance period given her to do so, after shortage of petroleum products hit the Liberian market for about four weeks, from February to March, 2020.
“A period of 90 days was given by the President for settlement of the outstanding balances either in cash or in the equivalent value in products,” a communication from the Executive Mansion to LPRC Managing Director, Marie Urey Coleman, dated Monday, September 14 said.
“The 90 days period elapsed several months and there does not appear to be any report from you to the office of the president concerning the remit.”
The shortage of the petroleum products came when the global pandemic of COVID-19, wreaked havoc on economies of major producers and suppliers of petroleum products on the world market.
Vehicles operators and others formed long, disordered queues fighting to get few gallons of the product deem seriously vital at the time.
This situation prompted President Weah to setup a Special taskforce to investigation circumstances leading to scarcity of petroleum products on the Liberian market.
The taskforce, headed by Minister of State Without Portfolio, Trokon Kpui, was charged with the responsibility of probing what was determined to be a variance of 60 percent between importer’s inventory of products at the LPRC and actual stock at the storage facilities.
The probe was completed and the Special Presidential Taskforce on February 21, 2020 submitted its report to President Weah, which copy was sent to Madan Coleman.
The taskforce, in one of its recommendations, suggested that products among tanks of the LPRC Tank would settle said accounts.
A period of 90 days was given by the President for settlement of said outstanding balances either in cash or in the equivalent value in products.
But the Executive Mansion said Madam Coleman is yet to comply with the taskforce recommendation, by providing a report on the remittance of said products to suppliers.
As a result of said delay, President Weah has mandated Minister Kpui, as Chairman of the Taskforce to liaise with the LPRC Management to determine the status of the report and delivered it to his office in one week.
“In view of the foregoing, the President has mandated Minister Kpui in his capacity as chairman of the Taskforce to liaise with you and your management team to determine and catalog the progress you have made to date in compliance with his directive, and to prepare a status report to be delivered to his office within one week of the date of this letter,” the Executive Mansion communication stated.