Energy Minister John Abdulai Jinapor has rejected the idea that only the Director of Procurement at the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) should be held accountable for the missing containers.
This comes after Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin alleged that ECG officials and Customs Officers colluded to sell the missing containers of cables at the port.
Afenyo-Markin’s accusations stem from a growing scandal involving the disappearance of ECG containers at the port, which has sparked widespread concerns of corruption.
Reports suggest the containers were diverted and ended up in private factories or were sold at suspiciously low prices through auctions.
The controversy began with an investigative report highlighting suspicious transactions and irregularities in ECG’s procurement processes.
Allegations have been made that government officials and ECG executives were aware of the improper handling but failed to act.
In an interview with Lily Mohammed on GHToday, John Jinapor dismissed the suggestion that the Director of Procurement alone should be held accountable.
He emphasised that all officials involved must be held accountable, stating that law enforcement agencies will ensure everyone is given the opportunity to account.
The Minister noted that the Director of Procurement alone does not sign contracts, and the Board and management’s decision to merge the position of the Director of Procurement and Estate must be investigated.
He stated, “I’m sure that the law enforcement agencies will ensure that everybody is given the opportunity to account. When we say accounting for stewardship – all of us when we left office, I went to EOCO severally, national security operative came my house, they took my laptop, my computer, a lot of forensic investigations – it’s part of the process of accountability and so once you accept such a responsibility, you ought to be available to account and I think that it will not be ,limited to only the director of procurement.”
“The Director of Procurement alone does not sign a contract; it goes through higher authorities. So, I believe this matter should go beyond just one individual. All those responsible must be given a fair hearing and a fair trial. Limiting it to the Director of Procurement is something I disagree with because it was the Board and management that decided to merge the positions of the Director of Procurement and the Director of Estate.”
