Police Releases Ex-PS, Joe Sang & Daniel Kiptoo
Former Petroleum PS Mohamed Liban, ex-KPC MD Joe Sang, and former EPRA DG Daniel Kiptoo have been released from police custody days after being implicated in a controversial fuel importation scandal.
The trio was released on Monday, April 6, on police bail pending further investigation and subsequent arraignment, although it remains unclear whether charges will be pursued against them.
According to their lawyers, who spoke to the media on Monday, the embattled former government officials had no wrongdoing in the Ksh4.8 billion scandal.
The legal team reiterated the officials were simply acting on recommendations from the National Security Council Committee (NSCC) issued on March 9.
In official documents, the committee allegedly recommended sourcing ’emergency’ fuel from alternative sources to cushion the country against potential adverse effects from the Middle East conflict.
At least 20 other individuals have since presented themselves to the DCI to record statements on the scandal. Among them is a Managing General from one of the country’s key petroleum companies.
The MD in question is a key person of interest in the case, particularly after it emerged that his company was involved in the shipment of 69 million litres of sub-standard fuel into the country.
Following the arrest of the three during the Easter period, various agencies, including the Kenya Pipeline Company (KPC), the Energy and Petroleum Authority (EPRA), and the DCI, have released separate statements to cool tensions in the country, emphasising that no public resources will be misused.
Following Daniel Kiptoo’s resignation from the DG position, EPRA appointed Joseph Aketch, who will be sworn in mid-week, while the other bodies have, as of yet, not made replacements for the resignations.
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The Ksh4 billion fuel estimates come from an emergency cargo purchase outside the Government-to-Government oil supply framework with Gulf nations, which Kenya signed with Saudi Arabia, that runs till late this year.
The Energy Ministry also confirms that the substandard fuel could have contributed to a Ksh43.4 per-litre variance compared to the established government-to-government (G2G) deal.
In light of this, the government, through the United Democratic Alliance (UDA), has recommended a hefty Ksh15 billion fine to be slapped on the importers of the sub-standard fuel to shield taxpayers from any projected financial loss.
UDA Secretary General Hassan Omar said the government is considering harsh sanctions amounting to five times the projected losses incurred.
Police Releases Ex-PS, Joe Sang & Daniel Kiptoo On Bail
