The Kirkuk court sentenced two former directors of the state-run Kirkuk Oil Products Distribution Company to six years in prison for negligence and failure to fulfill their duties, including failing to monitor the marketing of quantity of state-subsidized diesel sold in private gas stations in the province.
The court's decision comes after the General Company of Oil Products, affiliated to the Iraqi Oil Ministry, investigated the amount of oil products sold in Kirkuk, including diesel, and found that 17 billion Iraqi dinars IQD (USD11.5 million) have not been credited into the company’s accounts.
A source in the Kirkuk court confirmed the case to KirkukNow two former directors were sentenced to six years in prison each for negligence and failure to fulfill their duties.
The 17 billion dinars in the case is the money from the sale of diesel provided by the state-run company to the private generators, the amount of money has not been returned to the oil products distribution company.
the 17 billion dinars for the sales of the diesel have not been paid to the company by the private gas stations
A source in charge of the Kirkuk Oil Products Distribution Company, who declined to be named because unauthorized to speak to the media, told KirkukNow, “the 17 billion dinars for the sales of the diesel have not been paid to the company by the private gas stations.”
"Another violation of the sales process was that the gas was not sold with meters (pumps)," he added.
There are 27 government gas stations and 68 private gas stations in Kirkuk that distribute state-subsidized gasoline at 450 IQD according to coupons, three of which distribute government gasoline at the commercial price of 1,000 dinars per liter without coupons.
Gas stations in the city center are open until 12 pm, three gas stations are open 24 hours and gasoline will be distributed in the districts until 8 pm.
End of June, the federal government have ordered the closure of 150 private petrol stations in Kirkuk and Ninewa for various reasons, including lack of licenses and smuggling.
About 120 private petrol stations in Kirkuk were closed. These stations were selling ordinary, premium and super gasoline at 1,200 Iraqi Dinars IQD (USD0.8) to 1,450 Iraqi dinars per liter.
The gas was sold by a number of gas stations, many of which have been shut lately due to lack of licenses.
In the past two months, the owners of these gas stations have demonstrated demanding not to be charged the money, but the oil products distribution company rejected the demand and now charges them in monthly installments.
The Northern, oil-rich province of Kirkuk, home to 1.7 million Arabs, Kurds and Turkmens, is supplied with 1.5 million liters of government gasoline daily.
Each private vehicle in Kirkuk province, according to the government coupon, every eight days are entitled to get only 50 liters of gasoline at a price of 450 Iraqi dinars IQD (USD0.3) per liter, while taxis will be given 120 liters and trucks will be given 80 liters.
Those petrol stations were accused of smuggling gasoline to the Kurdistan Region of Iraq KRI where most of petrol stations are private. The price of a liter of ordinary gasoline in the KRI is 1200 IQD, pushing motorists to head to disputed territories to get cheaper gasoline.
