Former GREDA boss, Dr. Alexander Tweneboah, accused of his involvement in Sim box fraud has been granted bail.
An Accra Central Magistrate Court on Tuesday pegged the bail at GHC 50,000 with two sureties, one to be justified.
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.
He, together with five others were arrested by a joint task force which included the National Communications Authority (NCA), and the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) on January 15.
The task 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.
Meanwhile, the government has vowed to fight Sim box fraud in Ghana which is causing the nation to lose millions of dollars annually.
Sim box fraud occurs when individuals or organizations illegally terminate a voice call of a registered licensed network operators, usually at lower cost than the approved rates.
How to solve Sim box fraud
There have been various suggestions to help combat Sim box fraud in Ghana.
The Chamber of Telecommunication is strongly advocating for a drastic reduction in tariffs on international calls as a means of making the practice unattractive.
A member of the Communications Committee of Parliament, Joe Badu Ansah supported the Chamber of Communications call
According to him, SIM box fraud is prevalent in Ghana mainly due to the pricing policy on international calls.
He explained saying, “if you have a situation where government has pegged a minimum of 19 cents for incoming calls from abroad – 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.”
However, some industry players are of the view that the setting up of an Interconnect Clearing House is not the way to go.
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