The ranking member on Parliament’s Energy Committee, John Jinapor has called for the Electricity Company Ghana (ECG) to review its processes in acquiring meters.

Speaking on Joy FM’s Middaynews on Tuesday, October 10, he said the old-fashion way where customers have to walk to the ECG offices to get meters must be stopped while suggesting that the ECG can come up with a chip or card to be inserted in the device to enable customers to get their meters as done in the telecom sector.

This, he said will deal with the illegal sale of meters by its workers.

“I think that there should be a review of all these metering systems,” he said.

https://www.myjoyonline.com/joynews-exposes-cartel-that-forged-documents-to-sell-unapproved-meters-so-customers-enjoy-free-electricity/

Mr. Jinapor's comments come after JoyNews investigation uncovered a cartel made of some ECG staff who forged documents to sell off unapproved meters to prospective customers at exorbitant prices.

A separate meter that costs a little over Gh₵800 is sold by these individuals for as high as GH₵2,500.

JoyNews' investigative desk revealed how the actions of these individuals enable their patrons to enjoy free electricity without the knowledge of ECG offices in most parts of the country.

According to Mr Jinapor, the meter sale phenomenon is not new, adding that “When you talk to a lot of people, they will tell you that getting a meter is very difficult and that before you pay for a meter, even though it is supposed to be free people pay huge sums of money for them to access meters.”

He also bemoaned the cumbersome process customers have to go through to acquire a meter.

“So I would rather urge ECG to do a very critical review of its own sector. The truth is when you go there it is very difficult to get a meter. They frustrate you and those who want to do the right thing, end up experiencing undue delay.

“And so it is not as if Ghanaians enjoy going through middlemen, it is the frustration and the roadblocks at their offices that create these problems,” he said.

He noted that once Parliament assumes, the issue of illegal meter sale will be raised so as to get the ECG to respond to questions from the house.

Meanwhile, ECG has begun querying its staff cited in JoyNews' exposé.

A memorandum sighted by Myjoyonline.com and signed by the Director of Human Resources at the Accra East ECG office, Paul A. Okine was directed to an artisan, Mr Abraham Okine over his alleged involvement in the illegality.

The memo said, "your action in the footage is intolerable offence contrary to the Company’s Collective Agreement, Appendix A (I, X and XVI).

"You are therefore to explain in writing why disciplinary action should not be taken against you for the stated misconduct.

"Your response should reach the undersigned by the close of work on Friday, 13th October, 2023."