FUEL prices fell yesterday at Petrolina stations across the island, bringing some relief to consumers but also evoking complaints, this time from petrol station owners, who are complaining that Petrolina executives did not inform them after announcing lower their prices.
After weeks of mounting prices at the pumps, 98 Octane unleaded petrol dropped 1.4 cents to 57.6 cents per litre and 95 Octane unleaded also dropped 1.4 cents to 55.7 cents per litre.
According to statements on CyBC radio by the chairman of the Petrol Station Owner’s Association, Pambinos Charalambous, petrol stations had reported to him that Petrolina sold them petrol at the older high price, then announcing to the public that they had lowered their prices. The next morning, the public went to the pumps expecting the cheaper prices, but the petrol station owners had not been notified.
“This caused confusion and it seemed to the people that the petrol stations were deceiving their customers,” Charalambous said. “The petrol stations as a result had to lower their prices for their customers, at an economic burden to themselves.”
Petrolina Executive Advisor Dino Lefkaritis, who was also on the line with CyBC radio, denied that Petrolina had announced a lowering of the prices on Tuesday.
“Yesterday [Tuesday] we did not announce a lowering of the prices,” Lefkaritis said. “What we said was that we were planning on announcing lower prices. Petrolina announced a lowering of the prices today [Wednesday].”
Lefkaritis also denied that any petrol stations had complained to them. “We inform the petrol stations by fax about our proposed prices, and it is their right to come back and ask us to change the price based on the system that we have in place. We didn’t have any problems with our petrol stations. If any petrol station owner reports a complaint, we examine it ourselves.”
Lefkaritis took offence when Charalambous suggested that the reason no petrol stations contacted Petrolina was because they might be afraid to complain directly to the company, and said that Charalambous “should only say some things up to a point”.
At a news conference yesterday Trade Minister George Lillikas said that if evidence was presented to him that petrol companies have been overcharging customers then they would be strictly penalised, up to the point of imprisonment.
Lillikas is presenting a package of measures tomorrow to the Finance Ministry to assist consumers and businesses with the increasing oil prices. Despite repeated questioning from reporters, Lillikas maintained that he could not reveal the content of the package prematurely, although he did say that the packet’s measures were worth “tens of millions of pounds”.
He did confirm, however, that larger families would be given more relief when it comes to electricity, since electrical costs are higher for them.
Lillikas also added that it was possible he could give some vague outlines of the packet after today’s meeting with the Finance Minister.
When asked to comment on the opposition’s criticism that he has done little to nothing over the past five months to address increasing oil prices, the Trade Minister said that the package they had put together was big and complex and it was not something that could be dashed together in a few days.
“We announced we were putting together a plan five months ago. DISY wanted a response a week later, as if it should have been ready by then. We don’t find this particularly constructive.”
