The Fraud Squad should be sent to Petrotrin to examine the state-owned oil company’s books in light of the A&V Oil and Gas Limited scandal, Opposition Senator Gerald Ramdeen urged on Tuesday as he spoke on Senator Wade Mark’s private motion to suspend A&V’s contract and withhold payments to that company, reports Newsday.
It was reported over the weekend that President of the state-owned oil company Petrotrin resigned over a scandal involving discrepancies between reported oil production in the exploration and production operations in the Catshill Field operated by A&V Oil and Gas and the actual production receipts at the Pointe-a-Pierre refinery.
The oil company has also been plagued with incidents of spills and safety mishaps over the past several months at its Pointe-a-Pierre refinery.
In May, Pointe-a-Pierre MP David Lee called for the resignation of the President and Board of the State-owned oil company over environmental concerns related to the operation of the refinery.
Petrotrin has been lobbying Guyana for an opportunity to refine its oil when production begins in 2020. A Trinidadian consultant told OilNOW in June that this may not be a viable option for Guyana due to the composition of the South American country’s crude and the configuration of the Pointe-a-Pierre refinery. He also pointed out that safety breaches at the facility should be of concern to Guyana.
