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Take advantage of moratorium, rectify meter status – ECG tells customers
Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has encouraged customers to take advantage of the moratorium it has declared to audit meters countrywide to avoid brushes with law.
The one-month moratorium is from June 7 to July 7, 2022, and will afford customers to report to ECG District and Regional Offices for rectification of post-paid customers who have meters but do not receive bills.
It extends also to prepaid customers whose meters are faulty, customers who have by-passed or tampered with their meters and are, therefore, not paying for the full cost of power usage as well as those who have engaged in any form of electrical illegality.
“Please note that after this moratorium, customers who are caught stealing electricity, which is criminal, will be charged with the offence of stealing in accordance with the law and their names shall be published widely,” Director, Customer Services of ECG, Mr Abraham Anokye Abeberese told journalists at a news conference at Takoradi in the Western Region on Wednesday.
The meter audit, he said, was part of a field survey to be done by ECG officials to update customer information.
Mr Abebrese explained that after the expiration of the moratorium, a Task Force would be visiting premises to effect the exercise and hoped customers would comply with the new directives.
He added that “when the teams visit, they will leave slips for customers who might not be at home to indicate their telephone numbers for further directions”.
Again, he indicated that future bills would also be sent through SMS text messages.
The ECG Customer Service Director told journalists that in line with Public Utilities Regulatory Commission benchmarks, the company was desirous to deal with about 30 percent losses.
He stressed “ We want to seal the leakages and so we want all customers to participate in this exercise because the commercial loss is the worry.”
From Clement Adzei Boye, Takoradi
The prosecution has officially rested its case in The Republic v Solomon Asamoah & Another, the high-profile legal battle commonly referred to as the “Sky Train” case.
The Deputy Attorney General Justice Srem Sai announced the development, praising the state’s team of hard-working prosecutors for successfully anchoring the state’s evidence before the High Court.
The criminal trial centers on the former Chief Executive Officer and the former Board Chairman of the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund (GIIF).
The duo stands accused of illegally authorizing and paying out US$2 million to a foreign company without obtaining board directives or other mandatory statutory approvals.
State investigators have confirmed that the disbursed millions cannot be found.
Following the closure of the prosecution’s case, the accused persons moved the court for an opportunity to file a submission of no case.
The presiding judge granted the application, ordering the defense to submit their arguments by June 8.
The outcome of the June 8 filings will decide the fate of the trial:
With this, if the judge finds the defense’s submission convincing, the accused will be acquitted and discharged however, If the judge dismisses the submission, the court will order the accused officials to take the stand and explain why they should not face prison sentences.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
Member of Parliament for Akuapem North, Sammy Awuku, has expressed deep sorrow following the sudden passing of Isaac Batsa, the constituency secretary for the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) lawmaker issued a statement on Tuesday reacting to the news, which has shocked the local political community.
Mr.Awuku praised the late NDC secretary for his bipartisan approach to local governance.
He noted that despite their different political affiliations, Batsa consistently rose above party lines to serve the constituency with diligence.
The MP revealed that the news was particularly shocking given that he had last interacted with Batsa just three days prior on Saturday.
Concluding his statement, Sammy Awuku extended his heartfelt condolences to Batsa’s family, the constituency and regional executives, and the entire NDC fraternity, wishing the deceased peaceful eternal rest.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
