ECG officials collude with customs officers to sell containers at port – Afenyo-Markin

Minority Leader and Member of Parliament for Effutu, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has revealed that some ECG staff have been colluding with customs officials to sell containers containing vital electrical materials once they arrive at the port.

More than 1,000 containers belonging to ECG have been reported missing, sparking an urgent investigation and a state security operation to identify those responsible.

Several Chinese nationals have already been arrested in connection with the scandal.

Speaking on the floor of Parliament, Mr Afenyo-Markin, who previously served as the chairman of the ECG board, says the situation is not new.

The MP said he saw similar development when he was board chairman and called for decisive action to address the issue.

He urged the government to adopt a non-partisan approach and focus on eradicating corruption rather than making the scandal a political battleground.

“How can containers that have already arrived at the port be said to be missing?” Mr Afenyo-Markin questioned.

“The truth is, when these containers arrive, customs officials collude with others to sell them. These containers, which contain cables and materials urgently needed by ECG, are sold off after the supplier has been paid, only to be resold back to ECG. Are we pretending we don’t know this is happening?” he added.

Mr Afenyo-Markin stressed that the issue was not new, but a long-standing problem. He warned that a partisan approach would only perpetuate the cycle of corruption and called for a united effort to root out corruption in the public sector.

“If we continue to approach this as an NPP versus NDC issue, we are doomed. Whether the NPP or the NDC is in power, the same problems will arise, and the perpetrators will remain entrenched in the system,” he said.

He also raised concerns about the impact of the corruption on local businesses, accusing the government of favouring foreign businesses while Ghanaian businesses continue to struggle.

“Today, Ghanaian businesses can’t rest under the new government, while foreign businesses continue to survive because their ambassadors are there to protect them,” he added.

In response to Afenyo-Markin’s claims, the Minister of Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, denied that the containers went missing under the current government, asserting that the issue originated during the previous NPP administration.

“There are well-known facts about this case, which are already in the public domain,” Mr. Ofosu said.

“The incidents occurred during the NPP’s time in government, not under the current administration. Since this issue became public, there has been an attempt to distort the facts and make it seem like this is a new development under this government. I have the report here in front of me, and it will be submitted as evidence,” he emphasized.

Mr. Ofosu also criticised the Minority for calling for a reinvestigation, arguing that the issue had already been thoroughly investigated under the previous administration.

“We are not reinventing the wheel here,” he said. “The investigation has already been conducted, and the report exists. The call for a new investigation seems like an attempt to divert attention from the real issues.”