Former Managing Director of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), Samuel Dubik Mahama, released a letter dated March 2, 2023 revealing his appeal to the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) to suspend the auctioning of ECG and PDS consigned containers at the Tema Port.

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Addressed to the Commissioner-General of the GRA, the letter requested an extension to facilitate the clearance of the consignments, citing ongoing legal disputes and negotiations with Power Distribution Services (PDS).

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Mahama highlighted the termination of agreements between ECG and PDS in October 2019, stressing that unresolved obligations and disputes had contributed to the delays.

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Mahama acknowledged that several containers had remained uncleared at the port, with uncertainty surrounding whether PDS had requested an extension for their clearance.

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REQUEST-FOR-THE-HALT-OF-AUCTIONING-OF-ECG-CONSIGNMENTS-AND-CONTAINERS-AT-THE-PORTS._0001Download

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While the letter recognized the Ghana Revenue Authority’s (GRA) authority to classify the containers as overstayed cargo and auction them, he cautioned that such action could undermine ECG and the government’s legal standing in ongoing disputes with PDS.

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He therefore urged the GRA to halt the auctioning process until ECG could resolve its issues with PDS and formally address the status of the uncleared consignments.

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The resurfacing of this letter comes at a time when Dubik Mahama faces allegations of awarding contracts without competitive bidding, resulting in excessive procurement costs that pushed ECG’s 2023 budget overrun to GHS 7.3 billion.

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Investigators also uncovered that 1,346 ECG containers, valued at $489 million, had either gone missing or been fraudulently cleared. The reemergence of Mahama’s correspondence further deepens concerns over ECG’s financial mismanagement and the unresolved fate of these consignments.

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