Abel Dzidotor, the driver allegedly responsible for the train tragedy, has been sentenced to six months in prison.

According to Citi News’ Benjamin Aklama, Dzidotor pleaded guilty to three of the four allegations against him.

These charges include irresponsible driving and inflicting illegal damage.

The first accusation was for reckless and inconsiderate driving, a breach of Section 3 of the RTA Act 683 (2004), as modified by Act 761 in 2008. Dzidotor pled guilty and got a punishment of 100 penalty units, equivalent to a possible 20-month jail term if not paid.

The second allegation was for unauthorised halting, which violated Section 19 of Act 683 of 2004, as modified by Act 761 of 2008. Dzidotor pled guilty and received a 20-penalty unit punishment, or a five-month prison term if underpaid.

The third allegation was for inflicting unauthorised damage, which violated Section 172b of Act 2960. Dzidotor pled guilty and got a six-month term of hard labour.

The fourth accusation was for failing to present a driver’s licence, which violated LI 21(80) regulation 47(2). Dzidotor pled not guilty, claiming that his licence was in the wrecked vehicle.

He has been ordered to show the licence to the court by May 9, 2024, or face serious repercussions.”

The Ghana Police Service detained the driver of a Hyundai truck with registration number GS 9018 – 20 on Thursday for allegedly causing a collision with a freshly imported train on the Tema-Mpakadan railway line.

A recently acquired train from Poland was involved in an accident during a test run.

According to a statement from the police, their preliminary investigation determined that the suspect driver left the car unattended on the railway line, resulting in a collision with the train.

The truck driver is believed to have gone to transport cement blocks when the truck became trapped on the rail because he was unable to use a pass-through beneath the bridge.

Board members of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) who were charged by the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) with failing to provide a consistent load-management schedule have disputed a substantial punishment levied on them.

On Tuesday, April 16, PURC imposed a GH¢5.8 million punishment on ECG board members who served from January 1 to March 18, 2024, for failing to give a load-shedding timeline following a series of power outages between January and March this year.

However, in a letter to PURC Executive Secretary Dr. Ishmael Ackah, attorneys representing the affected board members claimed that their clients are not responsible for the day-to-day management of ECG and hence cannot be held culpable.

“Board members of ECG are not responsible for the day-to-day administration of ECG and, therefore, are not principal officers within the intendment of Act 538 to be able to be held liable for a default on the part of the public utility ECG.”

They further maintained that the PURC’s order is illegitimate, null, and void because it lacks jurisdiction.

The attorneys further claimed that by imposing such a large punishment on their clients, the PURC had improperly assumed the powers of a High Court.

“The Commission’s order imposing regulatory charges on the members of the board is unlawful, null and void as same is without jurisdiction. By this order, the Commission has unlawfully clothed itself with the powers of the High Court, and imposed a sentence on the Board Members, without having been given the opportunity to be heard which amounts to a breach of the rules of natural justice.”

“Our clients, therefore, reject the contents of the regulatory order relative to any personal liability on their part,” the lawyers further argued.

The former Power Minister has praised the decision by the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) to punish the Board members of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) GH¢5.8 million.

Dr Kwabena Donkor, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Pru East, characterised the action as noteworthy.

The PURC assessed a high penalty of GH¢5,868,000 on ECG board members who served from January to March 18, 2024.

This disciplinary action was filed because they violated Regulation 39 of L.I. 2413, which mandates prior notification to consumers before any power outage occurs.

The fine has affected several people, including Keli Gadzekpo, who resigned as Board Chair on March 26, and Samuel Dubik Mahama, the current ECG Managing Director.

Speaking on Citi FM, Dr Donkor stated his support for the fine.

He stated that it is required since the Board members have refused to accept responsibility for the company’s choices.

“I find that really refreshing. Extremely refreshing since I also rank the State Enterprises Committee of Parliament, and the absence of good governance in a lot of state-owned enterprises has drawn attention to the issue. Board members do not accept accountability for the choices of the businesses they oversee, therefore I am really happy about that,” he said.