The West Ada District Police, Sege, has prosecuted a carpenter who alerted the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) of some alleged power theft by a poultry farmer at Hwakpo, for causing damage to the electrical cables of the latter.
Richard Ackwerh, the accused, appearing before His Lordship Narh Awah of the West Ada District Court, admitted damaging the cables of David Nartey, the complainant, however, he explained that the complainant illegally tapped the power from his residence.
“And realising the adverse consequences of such an illegal connection to my parents’ house where my old lady resides and the revenue loss to the state, I angrily cut off the supply from our main meter and tore the cables,” Richard told the court.
The incident happened on February 13, this year.
Chief Inspector Francis Acquaye is the prosecutor and according to him, the damaged cables cost GHc540.
He told the court that the complainant led the police to the site where the damaged cables were collected and kept as exhibits and later arrested the accused on July 15, 2021.
However, after listening to the defence of Richard Ackwerh, the court granted him a self-cognisance bail.
But, the family of the accused have expressed huge shock at the ECG for not taking legal action against the complainant after their son had informed them of the alleged illegal connection he had detected in the house.
What stunned them the more was ECG going to the site to detect the substandard cable connecting electricity from house number HW1/004 to the poultry farm at about 500 meters away.
The substandard cables hanged on weak bamboo sticks from the power source to the poultry farm.
“Richard and a family member called the ECG on the telephone to draw their attention to the power connection. Indeed, the ECG came to the site to disconnect the supply to the poultry farm. And just when we thought the ECG would take action against the one who is supposed to have done wrong, our son was rather arrested and charged for causing damage,” a family member told the media after the court.
The family expressed their intention of petitioning the hierarchy of ECG for its branch’s failure to protect a whistle blower.