Source: newsthemegh.com
A 48-year-old painter who is accused of stealing an Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) billing meter has been remanded by an Accra Circuit Court.
Francis Ametame entered a not guilty plea after being charged with stealing and willful interference with a supplier’s distribution system, meter, or other equipment. In order to appear again on June 8, 2023, the accused was remanded into police custody by the court presided over by Mr. Samuel Bright Acquah.
The prosecution, Mr. Paul Assibi Abariga, stated the following facts: The complainant, Mr. Samuel Obonsey, was the housekeeper at Malejor in Accra, and the accused also lived there.
According to the prosecution, on May 16, 2023, at around 2:30 a.m., the complainant and some of his neighbors detained the defendant and took him to the Malejor Police Station with an ECG meter and a black bag containing electrical equipment.
According to the report, the complainant claimed that at around 2:30 a.m., his light turned off unexpectedly, prompting him to check his meter. The prosecution claimed that upon arriving at the location where the meter had been installed, he noticed the accused climbing his fence wall.
According to the report, the complainant chased after the suspect and, with the assistance of his neighbors, managed to get the suspect into custody.
According to the prosecution, the matter was submitted to the ECG investigative unit on May 20, 2023, for additional action.
According to the report, the accused admitted the offense during the investigation and told the police that he had gone to the complainant’s residence with a man named Julius to remove the meter, but that Julius had fled after spotting the complainant approaching and left him behind.
According to the prosecution, the accused was unable to direct the police to the aforementioned Julius.
According to information obtained from the Oyibi Police Station, the accused gave five ECG meters to electrician Bright Amenyo in December 2022 so that he could sell them on his behalf. However, when Bright realized the meters were stolen, he brought them to the police station and reported the accused.
According to the prosecution, the defendant went into hiding after learning that authorities were looking for him.
It was claimed that Bright came to identify the accused to the police after his detention as the person who handed him the meters to sell on his behalf.