Kleptomaniacs Invade Tema Port

AS IF THE flood-gate for stealing has been opened, pilferage at the nation's number one port at Tema is on the rise.

However, actual stealing has gotten to its peak and surprisingly at official level.

The latest to be grabbed is the Stevedoring Manager of the Tema Port of the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA), Mr. Mike Griffins.

Documents in the custody of the security agencies revealed that on Wednesday, January 16, this year, the stevedoring manager, who is enjoying his annual leave, went to the port and managed to go away with a number of stevedooring gears, namely measuring tape, two industrial vises, two knives, one blow lamp, one wire cutter, four spikes and two disks belonging to the authority.

The manager, though on leave, raised and signed a waybill number 807858 dated 16/01/02 to cart the items in a vehicle GV844S, driven by one Mensah, to his private workshop near the motorway roundabout.

Officials from the port went to the workshop and found the equipment being used to manufacture stevedoring gears for one of the new companies licensed to operate cargo handling at the port.

An official of the GPHA who wants to remain anonymous said that the case is beyond the authorities' investigation and has therefore invited the Police, BNI and SFO to assist in the enquiry.

Investigations by this reporter revealed that a few weeks ago, one Quarshie, also a stevedoring assistant manager, working as a subordinate to Mr. Griffin, was involved in a theft case.

He was alleged to have stolen mooring ropes and sold them to one stevedoring company, also at the port.

The money involved was about ?30million, but he cheated on his accomplice by giving him only ?200,000 and peeved, the casual accomplice reported the theft and Quarshie was arrested and interdicted.

Latest information has it that the authority has terminated his appointment.

A few weeks ago, a GPHA security officer at the port, one H.A. Boateng, reportedly arrested people who went to steal a quantity of spare parts.

After seizing the items, the security in turn sold them to a driver.

The thieves had a wind of it and alerted the Port security office and officers kept surveillance on the vehicle in the Port.

At the gate, the driver hid the spareparts in a fuel tank compartment that was created.

Upon discovery, the driver mentioned H.A. Boateng, the security officer, as the one who sold the parts to him.

Boateng was subsequently arrested at his duty post and a search conducted on him led to retrieval of over ?200,000.

Meanwhile, recent events at the Tema Port in respect of the interdictions are being attributed to both political and tribal undertones.

The Cocoa Shed interdiction of four senior officers is being interpreted by the port community, as a senior officer among those interdicted is alleged to link with a top brass of government.

He is said to have visited the senior government official with a friend, party loyal and tribesman.

Having realised the closeness between the now interdicted officer and the top government officer, the friend went to alert the decision-makers at the authority and for fear that positions could be tilted, victimisation set in, Chronicle gathered.