Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin has alleged that certain customs officials are engaged in a corrupt scheme involving the sale of essential containers and high-tension cables meant for the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG).

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Speaking in Parliament on Friday, Afenyo-Markin claimed that these officials collude with private individuals to dispose of the assets, even after suppliers have been fully paid.

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“Mr Speaker, it is true that when these containers come, there is some connivance with some customs officials and they sell these containers, cables that ECG needs after the supplier has been paid. They sell the container and these people sell back to the ECG,” he stated.

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His remarks come amid revelations of a large-scale illegal operation uncovered by National Security officials, involving the melting of ECG’s high-tension cables for the production of aluminum poles meant for export.

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Investigations have so far led to the arrest of eight Chinese nationals and two Ghanaians in connection with the illicit trade. Two companies have also been identified as major players in the scheme, which has contributed to the disappearance of over 1,300 ECG containers from the port.

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On Friday, March 28, Energy Minister John Jinapor, alongside National Security personnel and journalists, visited manufacturing sites in Kpong, where the cables were reportedly being processed. Findings from the visit indicated that the stolen cables were being sold at extremely low prices, melted down, and repurposed for aluminum production.

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Chief Superintendent Alhassan Osman, Director of Investigations at the National Security Council, confirmed that intelligence reports had linked the operation to an ongoing illicit trade spanning several years.

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“From the intel we have here, this has been ongoing for so many years. They were producing this from ECG cables and so it is not a new thing, and you can imagine the money they make. The cables are sold to them cheap,” he disclosed.

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Energy Minister John Jinapor, after inspecting the site, vowed to recover the missing ECG assets and hold those responsible accountable.

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“Since 2019, this crime is being perpetuated on the state. The then government slept on it. This government will not allow this to continue, and as Minister, I will ensure that we curtail this. We will follow and retrieve these containers. I want my containers, simple as that,” he asserted.

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Authorities have intensified efforts to dismantle the illegal network and retrieve the stolen ECG property, as investigations continue into the scandal.

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