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GH¢5.8m fine on ECG board members was sanctioned by our legal dept – PURC
A Commissioner of the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC), Ishmael Edjekumhene, has disclosed that the decision to impose a fine of Five Million, Eight Hundred and Sixty-Eight Thousand Ghana Cedis (GHS 5,868,000.00) on members of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) board was given by PURC’s legal department.
The legality of the fine’s imposition was questioned following its announcement in a letter issued by the PURC on Monday, April 15.
PURC took action due to ECG’s violation of Regulation 39 of L.I. 2413, which requires prior notification to consumers before any power interruption.
Speaking on the legality of the imposition on the Citi Breakfast Show on Citi FM on Tuesday, April 16, Mr. Edjekumhene told the host, Bernard Avle, that “we acted on the advice of the legal department, and there are legal precedents to this.”
Mr. Edjekumhene explained that the fine targeted the board members because the Commission feared it would be converted to tariffs for consumers to pay if it was imposed on ECG as an entity.
He added that this is not the first time it has fined the ECG for ineffectiveness.
“We were advised by the legal department that we can charge it on the board because we didn’t want it to come through or be paid through a tariff,” he said.
According to him, “We quoted relevant provisions of the Act upon which we were imposing the fine and this is not the first fine we have imposed on ECG. We imposed a fine on them when the issue of buying prepaid arose.”
Source: Citinewsroom.com
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Traders, ‘Okada’ riders take over Circle pavement
• Korle-Bu CEO with staff of Nivaansh MediQas
Activities of traders and drug addicts are contributing to make the Kwame Nkrumah Interchange (Circle) area very uncomfortable and unsafe for commuters.
Day in and out, pedestrians are ‘ejected’ from the pavement created for their safety as traders preferred to sell their wares on that space.
That hinders the free movement of the pedestrians.
The small space left for the pedestrians are also shared with ‘Okada’ riders.
As if these woes are not enough for a commuter on a single day, they also have to navigate carefully to avoid clashes with drug addicts and the mentally challenged.
These people have turned the pavements into their places of abode, covering every inch of space with their wares.
Our photographer, Lizzy Okai, captures some of the unfriendly scenes the authorities must try and deal with to restore sanity to the area.
By Lizzy Okai
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NDC outlines demands before committing to Peace Pact
The National Chairman of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketia, has set forth specific conditions that the party insists must be met before considering signing the Peace Pact advocated by the National Peace Council in anticipation of the December 7 elections.
Mr. Nketia expressed scepticism about the effectiveness of past Peace Pacts, highlighting that they had not achieved their intended outcomes, particularly referencing the 2020 elections, during which eight NDC members were allegedly killed by national security operatives without accountability.
During an August 20 meeting with the National Peace Council at the NDC headquarters, Mr. Nketia detailed the certain conditions for the NDC’s participation in the Peace Pact.
The NDC is demanding that the recommendations from the investigation into the violence during the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election be fully implemented.
They also want those responsible for election-related violence in the last election to be prosecuted, stressing the importance of justice and prevention.
The party is calling for accountability regarding irregularities in the printing of ballot papers and insists that visible measures be taken to prevent such issues from happening again.
They are also pushing for a thorough investigation into the missing IT equipment from the Electoral Commission’s (EC) warehouse, expressing concerns about the integrity of the EC’s systems and the potential bias of its staff.
Furthermore, the NDC is urging the President to publicly commit to respecting the results of the 2024 elections. Lastly, the party insists that the Peace Pact should be signed by key figures, including the Inspector General of Police, the Chief Justice, the Attorney-General, and the National Security Coordinator, before they will consider signing it themselves.
Source: Citinewsroom.com
