(MENAFN - Jordan Times) Fuel expenses of government vehicles exceeded JD12.6 million in the first five months of this year, according to the Jordan Petroleum Refinery Company (JPRC).
Abdul Karim Alaween, JPRC chief executive officer, told The Jordan Times over the phone on Monday that public sector cars, which he said include all civil and military agencies, consumed 95-octane gasoline worth JD10.830 million during the first five months of the year.
The value of the agencies' consumption of the cheaper oil derivative, 90-octane, was JD1.851 million, he added.
The average monthly expenses on fuel are approximately JD2.5 million, slightly higher than last year, which was around JD2.4 million, according to Alaween.
"The government has given instructions to officials concerned with state-owned cars to use 90-octane fuel," he said.
But if consumption of 95-octane gasoline keeps its pace, Alaween said, the overall bill for this year is set to be much higher than the year before as prices of the fuel product went up by nearly 25 per cent in late May.
Alaween indicated that demand for oil derivatives by government cars usually increases during the summer season.
In 2011, government vehicles consumed gasoline worth JD29.25 million, according to the JPRC chief, who noted that the value of the 95-octane was JD25.28 million, while the value of the 90-octane stood at JD3.96 million.
According to Audit Bureau President Mustafa Barari, the number of public sector vehicles is around 20,000.
Barari was quoted by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, as saying that spending allocations for these vehicles exceeded JD83 million in 2011, indicating that the bureau has registered 2,495 violations related to the use of public vehicles during the first five months of this year.
A government source, who requested anonymity, told The Jordan Times that the value of government cars stands at over JD200 million.
