Sabah has lost over RM5mil to power thieves since 2017, says SESB

KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB) has discovered over 800 power thieves with losses of about RM5mil in the state since 2017.

SESB acting managing director Datuk Abdul Nasser Abdul Wahid said the thieves, mainly customers with tampered electricity meters, would face charges sooner or later.

"For now, a total of 31 cases are being looked into and some have ongoing trials," he said during a press conference here on Thursday (Feb 6).

He said out of the 31, two cases, comprising an entertainment outlet and a shophouse unit, have been brought to court.

"On Jan 2, the Labuan Magistrate's Court allowed SESB to claim compensation of RM8,849.60 from the entertainment outlet," Abdul said.

He said at the Kota Kinabalu Magistrate's Court the same day, a shophouse owner was ordered to pay RM23,109.94 to SESB for tampering with their electric meter.

He said the entertainment outlet was only paying for 40% of its total usage for a few months and after tampering with the electric meter while the shoplot owner had been doing so for over six months.

"Apart from getting offenders charged or penalised under commercial offences, we will also bring whichever case we can to face criminal charges," Abdul said.

He said SESB would continue to monitor the electric usage of all its clients and would not hesitate to take action on those who break the law.

Scheduled integrated operations are conducted with the Energy Commission and security agencies for these purposes.