Former GREDA boss, Dr. Alexander Tweneboah, accused of his involvement in Sim box fraud has been granted bail.<\/p>\n
An Accra Central Magistrate Court on Tuesday pegged the bail at GHC\u00a050,000 with two sureties, one to be justified.<\/p>\n
[contextly_sidebar id=”AGFZvbgGCTg5CUXQncelkLVZzo4LYAO5″]Dr. Tweneboah who has pleaded not guilty to two counts of providing electronic equipment without license and possessing illegal devices with intent to commit crime, was arrested a few weeks ago by the Police for engaging in Sim box fraud.<\/p>\n
He, together with five others were arrested<\/strong><\/span><\/a> by a joint task force which included the National Communications Authority (NCA), and the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) on January 15.<\/p>\n The\u00a0task force seized one Sim box with a 64-slot Sim server, 4G Internet modem, 1 laptop computer and mini antennas from a residence at Batsona, Manet area.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, the government has vowed to fight Sim box fraud<\/strong><\/span><\/a> in Ghana which is causing the nation to lose millions of dollars annually.<\/p>\n Sim box \u00a0fraud occurs when individuals or organizations illegally terminate a voice call \u00a0of a \u00a0registered licensed network operators, usually at lower cost than the approved rates.<\/p>\n How to solve Sim box fraud<\/strong><\/p>\n There have been various suggestions to help combat Sim box fraud in Ghana.<\/p>\n The Chamber of Telecommunication is strongly advocating for a drastic reduction in tariffs on international calls as a means of making the practice unattractive.<\/p>\n A\u00a0member of the Communications Committee of Parliament, Joe Badu Ansah supported the Chamber of Communications call<\/p>\n According to him,\u00a0SIM box fraud is prevalent in Ghana mainly due to the pricing policy on international calls.<\/p>\n He explained saying, \u201cif you have a situation where government has pegged a minimum of 19 cents for incoming calls from abroad \u2013 government takes 6 cents, the Telcos take 13 cents. If you have anyone who can arrange for a lesser amount, it becomes very attractive so I believe that it is a policy issue because pricing is a policy.\u201d<\/p>\n However, some industry players are of the view that the setting up of an\u00a0Interconnect Clearing House is not the way to go.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n By: Efua Idan Osam\/Fred Djabanor\/citifmonline.com\/Ghana
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