ECG’s missing containers: I have formally requested NIB to take over investigations – Jinapor

The Minister of Energy, John Abdulai Jinapor, has revealed shocking details about the mismanagement and illegal sale of Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) cables, which were allegedly auctioned at ridiculously low prices.

During a visit to multiple locations, the Minister discovered that stolen ECG cables, which were meant for national electrification projects, had ended up in aluminium smelting factories, where they were being melted into raw materials.

“We’ve visited about four different places, about four, and two of them are aluminium smelting companies, and they claim that some people came to sell it to them,” Jinapor disclosed.

The Minister further revealed that two foreign nationals who own companies involved in the smelting process have been arrested, and security agencies are actively pursuing other culprits.

Another company, owned by an Indian national, claimed they had purchased the containers last year from unknown individuals, prompting authorities to widen their investigations.

Jinapor described his findings at one of the warehouses as alarming, stating, “When you peep through the warehouse, you can see a lot of drums of ECG cables, a lot of them with ECG labels on the carton or wooden carton that wraps the cables.”

In response to this shocking discovery, the Minister has requested a thorough investigation from the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB).

“I’ve spoken to the Director of NIB, which is formerly BNI. He’s asked that I put in a formal request for a thorough investigation, which I have done,” he stated.

Jinapor also proposed setting up a specialized team to track the serial numbers of the missing containers and trace their movement from the ports to their final destinations.

“What I think is that we need a team that can track the serial numbers of the containers. We can get a very good former customs official, some forensic guys,” he suggested.

He explained that this team, with the support of national security, would examine manifests to determine when the containers arrived, how they were received, and where they were ultimately sent.

“If we do that, we’ll get a lot of people into the net, and then the law will take its course,” he said.

Jinapor emphasized that addressing this issue is not just about punishing the culprits but ensuring long-term reforms to prevent similar occurrences in the future.

“My main focus is that we must reform the sector so that in four years’ time, or sometime when Jinapor also leaves, we don’t have a repeat of these issues,” he stated.

The post ECG’s missing containers: I have formally requested NIB to take over investigations – Jinapor first appeared on 3News.

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