THE authorities are now investigating what appears to be a case of aircraft fuel theft at Jamaica Aircraft Refuelling Services (JARS), rather than fraud at Petrojam as claimed by Opposition spokesman on energy Robert Montague yesterday.

Montague had released a statement saying that the Opposition has information that police and the Customs Department have made a breakthrough in the alleged fraud which, he said, involved the theft of thousands of litres of petrol at Petrojam.

He also said the Government’s silence on the matter has raised some questions.

“Is the artificially high price of petrol being used to cover the loss from the alleged fraud? Montague asked. “Is the company alleged to be involved co-operating with the authorities? Have the overseas partners in the alleged entity been notified? What does the board know about these allegations and when did they know it, if at all?”

He also asked: “Has anyone been charged? And for what? What is the extent of the alleged fraud? Who else is alleged to be involved?”

But yesterday evening Petrojam boss Winston Watson told the Jamaica Observer that what was being investigated was a case of theft.

“There’s no fraud, it’s a theft,” Watson said. He explained that on May 10, Customs officers saw a JARS refueller loading a fuel tanker at the JARS plant at Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay.

The Customs officers immediately became suspicious because the refuellers are only used to refuel aircraft.

JARS is a joint venture in which Petrojam owns a 49 per cent stake, while Air BP — one of the world’s largest suppliers of aviation fuel products and services — holds 51 per cent.

Watson told the Observer that the Customs officers seized the tanker and found 4,000 litres of fuel.

The matter was reported to the JARS board, and Petrojam fired the driver of the JARS refueller and his supervisor, and has also launched its own investigation.

Customs, the Observer learnt last night, have brought in the police as they seek to determine how widespread the thievery is and who is behind it.

It was not clear last night whether Customs had arrested anyone in the case and an attempt to reach Commissioner Major Richard Reese was not successful as his cellphone rang without answer.

The Observer was also told last night that BP Air is sending its own investigators to Jamaica.