14 Arrested over missing ECG container saga

National Security which is leading investigations into the missing containers of goods and materials belonging to the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has arrested 14 persons. 

They are made up of 10 foreign nationals and four Ghanaians.

This came to light yesterday when the Minister of Energy and Green Transition, John Abdulai Jinapor, visited the premises of Dangfang Company Ltd and Ponlok Manufacturing Company Ltd, near Shai Hills in the Greater Accra Region, as well as a warehouse at Kpone, to ascertain the quantity of missing cables uncovered by National Security.

“We will pursue and prosecute anyone found culpable over the missing 1,300 shipping containers and their contents belonging to the ECG,” the minister said.

Mr Jinapor added that the ministry would not hesitate also to secure a court order to sell the assets of persons and companies apprehended, after their prosecution in court to defray the cost of the items, and invest the proceeds in the national electricity grid to make power delivery more reliable.

At Dangfang Company Ltd and Ponlok Manufacturing Company Ltd, the minister, in the company of officials of the ministry, were conducted round the smelter and its warehouses, where cable drums and cables labelled as property of ECG were being smelted and converted to aluminum rods for export.

At Kpone, the minister was shown a large warehouse containing cables suspected to belong to the ECG.

Context

Mr Jinapor said a committee set up to investigate containers packed at the Tema Port on his assumption of office this year, indicated that over 1,300 containers could not be accounted for, for which the security agencies were alerted and their investigation led to the discovery of some cables in those factories.

Some of the aluminium rods produced at the DangFang Company using smeltered cables

He said preliminary investigations had shown that the disappearances, orchestrated by a syndicate, had been happening since 2019.  

The Energy and Green Transition Minister said he was resolute in breaking the syndicate, stressing that "we would chase everybody and pursue every organisation that has been operating this cartel.”

Mr Jinapor added: "Clearly, as you can see, these are ECG cables, they are meant to be used by ECG but they end up in these factories and then they smelter them and produce aluminum rods, that is criminal." 

Politicisation

The Energy Minister condemned attempts by a section of the public playing politics with the matter, stressing that as the minister he had sworn an oath to ensure that the right thing was done.

“And so let me make it clear.

Those who think that they can engage in political football, those who think they can use this to try and equalise,  it will not work,” Mr Jinapor said.

“Since 2019, this crime is being perpetrated on the state. As a minister, I would ensure that we curtail this, we will follow and apprehend those responsible, and retrieve the containers. In simple terms, I want my containers. Wherever the containers are, we will trace them,” he stated.

Mr Jinapor, who is also the Member of Parliament for Yapei Kusagwu, said with support from security agencies, the ministry would pursue the perpetrators and ensure that they were brought to book.

"We will do everything we can to trace these containers because they have serial numbers, they have manifests; and we would ensure that the law takes its course,” he assured.

Procurement breaches

Mr Jinapor disclosed that in 2014, ECG's planned procurement was $1.397 billion. However, by the end of the year, it had procured $8.2 billion worth of goods.

Similarly in 2023, the company planned to procure less than $1 billion worth of items, but ended up procuring $8.3 billion. In 2024, the company procured $8.2 billion, way above what was approved for them, he explained.

"So, they engage in frivolous over-expenditure, procure items that they do not have money to clear, and that is what has brought us this far,” he pointed out.

Arrests

The Director of Investigations at the National Security, Chief Superintendent Osman Alhassan, who took the minister round the factories, said although some of those arrested tried to influence the security personnel who effected the arrests, the team stood their grounds and duly carried out their duty.

He disclosed that, so far, 10 foreign nationals and four Ghanaians had been arrested in connection with the missing containers.

Chief Superintendent Alhasssan said the team would not be able to tell the number of containers it had retrieved so far, explaining that the cables they had retrieved were not in containers.

“All I can say is that we have retrieved some quantity of the cables, but I can't quantify in the form of containers.

We have heard about some transformers elsewhere, but

I am yet to move on that one, so at the appropriate time, we will keep you updated,” the Director of Investigations at the National Security said.

Writer’s email: Benjamin.glover@graphic.com.gh