The Twifu Praso Magistrate Court in the Central Region has sentenced three persons for stealing cables belonging to the Electricity Company of Ghana.

The three, according to Prosecutors stole the aluminum conductors of the ECG, cut them into pieces and were getting ready for the market when they were arrested.

The aluminum conductors estimated at a cost of GH¢860 were stolen from a construction company, Cornucopia that had won an ECG contract about six months to extend electrification projects from Twifu Paaso to Abeka Nkwata.

Yaw Mbroh, 27, Kofi Andoh, 24 and Kofi Kru, 18 who were employees of the construction company sub-contracted by the ECG pleaded guilty to the three counts of stealing-related offences and were sentenced on their own plea.

The two, Yaw Mbroh and Kofi Andoh were convicted to serve a six month jail term while 18 year old Kofi Kru was sentenced to a prison term of five months.

The Presiding Magistrate, Eric Baah Boateng expressed his disgust about the phenomenon where people have reckless disregard for state assets. “I have given them lesser sentences because they were first time offenders. I want to use this as a deterrent not only for these three persons but to everybody.”

 In a statement shortly after the conviction, the Regional PRO of ECG, Isaac Nurris Ainooson bemoaned how people have developed the penchant of tampering with the assets of the Electricity Company of Ghana.

“We are a serious company and we are into a serious business. We are saddled with financial difficulties and thus wouldn’t countenance any form of tampering with our equipment or our installations. We now have prosecutorial powers and will not hesitate to prosecute anyone found culpable. All we have is for the advancement of the entire country.”