Trio removed for fuel fraud

19 May 2011 11:52 am

Three advisors to the Chairman of the Ceylon Petroleum Storage Terminal Limited (CPSTL) were removed today by Petroleum Industries Minister Susil Premajayantha for an alleged fraud of more than Rs.12 million worth of diesel.

The three employees of the senior management of Ceylon Petroleum Storage Terminal Limited (CPSTL) had stolen diesel from a CPSTL terminal in Muthurajawala which has the capacity to hold a diesel supply of 81,000 tons.

CPSTL sources told the Daily Mirror that the theft began in 2005 till December 2006 when the theft was discovered by workers at the Muthurajawala terminal. The fraud was conducted by deleting the invoice numbers of fuel distributions stored in the company’s data system, the CPSTL sources said.

The sources said that the CID began an investigation in 2007 during which year the three offenders were interdicted. However in early 2009 they were not only taken into employment but also given promotions as advisors to the CPSTL during which time CID investigations continued.

Petroleum Industries Minister, Susil Premajayantha had called for the resignation of all three employees after evidence against them was given by CPC and CPSTL audit manager and other employees of both firms recently. The sources said that according to the CID the CPC would have incurred a much larger loss than Rs.12 million although evidence so far had proved a loss of that much so far. (Olindhi Jayasundere)