An electrical technician, Henry Teye Adjirackor, was yesterday sentenced to a fine of GH¢5,400 by the Circuit Court in Accra, for illegally installing Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) meters on premises.
He will go to jail for 18 months in default. Adjirackor was convicted on his own plea of guilty and sentenced.
He was charged on one count of conspiracy to steal, stealing and two counts of intentionally interfering or knowingly allowing interference with ECG distribution system, meters or any equipment.
Adjirackor denied any wrong doing in the first three charges, but conceded to the fourth count of illegally fixing an ECG meter for Comfort Odoi, at Chorkor, at a fee of GH¢600.
An application for bail by his lawyer, Lambert Keriba ,was granted by the court presided over by judge Bright Samuel Acquah, after he made a case that accused was a law abiding citizen, responsible, with a family and did not pose a flight risk.
Prosecution opposed bail application, saying accused had pleaded guilty to one of the charges.
However, the court granted GHc20,000 bail with one surety, who must be leaving in the jurisdiction and earning not less than GHc1,000 monthly, to accused.
An electrical engineer, Daniel Abban, 56, the first accused, was absent from court and a bench warrant was issued for his arrest.
Prosecuting, head of Investigations and Prosecutions, at the ECG, Mr Paul Abariga, told the court that the complainant in the case was a staff of the ECG.
He said accused, Daniel Abban and Henry Teye Adjirackor, worked as an Electrical Engineer and an Electrical Technician, respectively and claimed to work on electro-meters.
The court heard that last June, the complainant together with other staff of the ECG Korle-Bu District on their regular routine to check on illegal connection and non-functioning meters, detected that some meters used by customers were stolen ones.
Mr Abariga said the meters were immediately disconnected and the users asked to report at the ECG Office. When quizzed, the customers mentioned Abban and Adjirackor as persons who provided the meters.
The case has been adjourned to August 27.
BY NANA BENTSI ODURO
