An energy company H-PTP Energy Services Limited has dismissed claims by some civil society organisations (CSOs) under the handle of the Integrity Group alleging it is involved in economic sabotage because of delayed payments to its subcontractors.
The CSOs alleged in a publication that the delayed payments formed economic sabotage, urging President Bola Tinubu and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to intervene.
However, in a rejoinder made available to QEDNG on Wednesday, H-PTP Energy Services clarified that it has yet to receive the outstanding payments for the project it handled due to disputes with the project owner, adding that it is working hard to resolve the said issues to the benefit of itself and the subcontractors.
The company queried why the CSOs would accuse it of economic sabotage because of the delayed payments.
Part of the rejoinder read, “Our attention has been drawn to the recent story published in Sundiata post blog with the above caption by a faceless group under the aegis of Integrity Group claiming to act in collaboration with other unnamed Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) urging the President to call our company to order based on baseless and unsubstantiated allegation that our “conduct and actions are sabotaging the country’s economy” simply because we delayed payment for services rendered by one Acme Energy and other unnamed contractors which was said to be occasioning economic hardship to those creditors.
“The same group through its leader one Abolarin Babatunde also called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to check the activities of our company which was alleged as involved in shady deals, of which no details or particulars were volunteered. The publication however recognised that H-PTP as contractor and Acme and others as subcontractors had worked for a common client who had not fully liquidated the outstanding balance on account of certain disputes in respect of which our company has been working hard to resolve for the common good of itself as contractor and subcontractors.
“We wish to express our regret and disappointment over this embarrassing blackmail to resolve contractual differences or invitation of the highest office of the land or EFCC into a purely civil and contractual matter. To the knowledge of Acme, H-PTP is yet to receive a substantial part of the outstanding debt from the project owner which naturally accounts for the delay in releasing funds to the sub-contractors and our Company has constantly updated the subcontractors of efforts and progress being made to resolve the matter as fast as possible. One would have expected the support of Acme Energy and its cohorts in that regard instead of resorting to these disruptive and injurious publications.
“For the records, no aspect of H-TPT’s activities involves shady deals as mischievously alleged by the makers of this story and we challenge them to disclose any such shady deals involving our company within the next 48 hours failing which we may consider taking appropriate legal redress for this malicious and offensive and defamatory story.
“H-TPT would continue to deploy lawful means to recover the debts due to it from the project owner in order to pay those with verifiable and reconciled claims in good faith.
“We, accordingly, urge the Presidency and EFCC to discountenance the dubious call made in the offensive blog publication, as it was done in bad faith and in flagrant breach of the aptly provided dispute resolution in the binding contract entered by the parties. Our company shall remain law abiding and will seek necessary legal advice on the appropriate legal redress to be explored in the circumstances.”
