Electrician Granted Gh¢12,000 Bail After Allegedly Stealing Power Valued At Gh¢156,000

• A 41-year-old electrician, Jackson Ekow, has been charged with stealing power valued at Gh¢156,000
• He has also charged with interfering with the electricity distribution meters belonging to the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG)
• The Weija Circuit Court granted him bail of Gh¢12,000.00. The suspect is expected to reappear in court on December 24, 2024

The Weija Circuit Court has granted Jackson Ekow, a 41-year-old electrician accused of stealing power valued at Gh¢156,000.00, bail of Gh¢12,000.00.

The suspect, a sub-contractor for the Electricity Company of Ghana Limited (ECG), is expected to reappear in court on December 24, 2024.

He was also charged with interfering with the electricity distribution meters belonging to ECG.

The prosecutor, Chief Inspector Joseph Barabu, told the court presided over by Joshua Caleb Abaidoo that in December 2022, the complainant, an officer of the Bortianor District Office of the ECG, had discovered that the caretaker of a 4-bedroom self-contained storey building at ‘Cassava farm’ in Accra had allegedly illegally connected electricity to the building without meters.

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The ECG’s field monitoring team investigated the allegation, confirmed the claims, and then disconnected the building's power.

The caretaker reportedly failed to show up to the ECG office upon being invited to pay a penalty for the alleged illegality and regularise their status with the company.

Instead, the caretaker allegedly engaged Jackson Ekow's services to reconnect the building's power without informing ECG.

Following Jackson Ekow’s arrest by the New Weija Police Command, the caretaker has fled and remains at large.

The Revenue Protection Manager for ECG Accra West Region, Dr Mark Owusu Ansah, told the media that persons engaging the services of persons who have not been authorised to work within its power supply and distribution system would be arrested and charged for the power they have stolen.

Tamale Court sentences one to prison

YEN.com.gh reported that the Tamale District Court 1 had sentenced an accused person, Wahab Shiraz, to a six-month prison term with hard labour without the option of a fine over an illegal power connection.

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Wahab Shiraz, a resident of Bulpella in Tamale, was discovered engaging in illegal activities during a December 2023 NEDCo Mass Revenue Mobilisation Exercise.

Proofread by Samuel Gitonga, Copy Editor at YEN.com.gh

Source: YEN.com.gh