A landlord has been granted a GH¢20,000.00 bail by an Accra Circuit Court for allegedly stealing GH¢7,067.87 worth of electricity belonging to the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG).

The Court, presided over by Bright Samuel Acquah, ordered that Eric Afriyie, the accused, should provide a surety to execute the bail.

He has since denied the charges of theft, causing unlawful damage to ECG’s meter, and intentionally interfering with the supplier’s distribution system by bypassing the ECG meter without authorization.

The Court directed Afriyie to return on April 11, 2025.

The prosecution informed the Court that the complainant, Madam Regina Ayim, is a trader residing at Alhaji Tabora.

Afriyie, 53, a self-employed individual, is the complainant’s landlord. On March 3, 2025, the complainant reported that her landlord had been collecting money from her and other tenants for electricity purchases but had allegedly misappropriated the funds.

As a result, ECG officers visited the house for a meter inspection.

During the inspection, they discovered that the meter had been tampered with, leading the tenants to suspect the landlord of illegal interference.

The prosecution stated that ECG officers detected a bypass on the meter.

Following the discovery, the tenants' electricity supply was disconnected, and they were served with an ECG summons to report the issue for resolution.

The prosecution further explained that after the disconnection, the tenants visited the ECG office, and the issue was addressed, leading to their reconnection. However, the landlord refused to honor the ECG’s invitation and was not reconnected to the power supply.

Instead, he allegedly brought someone to reconnect him illegally, allowing him to use electricity without paying.

On March 19, 2025, the police arrested Afriyie, and in his cautioned statement, he admitted to the offence and expressed regret for challenging the authority of ECG.

After investigations, he was charged with the offences and arraigned before the court.