Ghana: 'Power Thieves', Ecg arrests over 5,000 customers

(AGI) - Accra, Jul 28 - Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), the main power distribution company in Ghana, through its Special Revenue Protection policy implemented last year, has from January to June this year apprehend 5,099 customers allegedly stealing power. According to Edna Owusu-Nyampong, manager in-charge of Revenue Protection at the ECG head office, although the customers had been using power, it was not passing through the installed meters. These customers, she said, were using power without paying for it; and that most of the arrested persons were those using high power consuming items like air conditioners, deep freezers and electric irons. Ms Owusu-Nyampong maintained that the suspects were surcharged a total of three million euros (GH¢10,306,234 in local currency ) and out of that, two million euros (GH¢8,920,338 in local currency) had been paid to the company. She stated that the culprits, after paying for the power that they had stolen, were referred to the ECG legal department for prosecution and were subsequently sent to court where most of them were again fined various sums of money while others were jailed. The manager said engineers and workers of the company intend visiting homes of all consumers to inspect their meters before the end of the year. ?In Tema and parts of Nungua, in the heart of Accra, the capital where we visited in June and July, a total of 2,960 houses were visited, and out of the number, about 65 of the consumers were found to have bypassed the meters and were using the power illegally. She revealed that they were charged a total of fifty thousand euros (GH¢112,756 in local currency) and out of that, four thousand euros ( GH¢13,409) had been paid. About 1,819 houses were visited and out of the number, 33 of them had bypassed the meters. Those illegal power users were immediately handed over to the Tema Community 4 police for prosecution. Owners of a clearing agency close to the Graphic Communications Group, Tema office, all in the nation's capital were also arrested for the same offence. (AGI) .