Seven arrested for illegal connection of electricity

Proprietors of seven entertainment centres including night clubs and the Ashanti Home Touch Restaurant at Abeka-Lapaz in Accra have been arrested for illegal connection of electricity to their respective premises.

Their illegal activities amounted to a loss of about 152,700 kwh of power, costing the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) a total amount of GH¢137,488.

Clamp down 

The ECG, in collaboration with the security agencies, commenced a special national exercise this month to clamp down on illegal power consumers.

Members of the task force are, therefore, inspecting homes and work places to ascertain the nature of electricity connections and the state of electricity meters.

Explaining the activities of the suspects, the Loss Control Coordinator of the Accra West Region, Mr Samuel Dekyem, said they usually connected the power through unapproved wires and cables to the main power source at night and later diverted it to their homes.

He further indicated that some of the suspects fidgeted with the meters and diverted power at night.

Penalty

Briefing the Daily Graphic, the Senior Public Relations Officer of Accra West Region, Mr Eric Asante, said the offenders, who were slapped with various fines, would also be prosecuted.

According to Mr Asante, the suspects were mainly users of single-phased meters.

“For such people, we’ll ensure that they’re prosecuted since the Executive Instrument (EI) 38 gave the company the mandate to prosecute customers who engage in illegalities and those who default in the payment of bills,” he said.