The Energy Commission of Sabah (ECoS) recorded 19 cases involving fines amounting to RM190,000 here and in Sandakan from January to March this year.
The cases comprise nine in Kota Kinabalu and 10 in Sandakan, reflecting continued enforcement of energy laws in the State.
Illegal installation of electric poles, bypass connections and meter tampering are among the offences.
For cases at the Kota Kinabalu Sessions Court, five involved a company that installed fibre optic concrete poles near a high-voltage electricity pole without permission from Sabah Electricity, the legal owner.
This resulted in an accident that caused permanent injuries to one of its workers, and the company was fined RM11,000.
Another company was fined RM20,000 for illegal bypass works and RM5,000 for illegal wiring, both carried out without permission from Sabah Electricity.
Three ongoing cases involving an individual and two companies were granted bail amounts of between RM5,000 and RM20,000, pending the re-mention of their cases on April 10, April 14 and April 23, respectively.
In another incident, a furniture company pleaded guilty to power theft and was fined RM25,000.
In Sandakan, four premises under one company were fined between RM8,000 and RM20,000 for nine cases of meter tampering, among other offences, bringing their total fines to RM92,000.
Other offenders included a homeowner who was fined RM5,000 and RM7,000 for two offences, while a club owner was fined RM25,000 for power theft.
All prosecutions were conducted by ECoS prosecuting officer Andryeno Thomas, and all fines and bail were paid by the offenders.
ECoS reiterated its commitment to strengthening enforcement of energy laws in Sabah to ensure compliance and maintain the integrity of the State’s electricity supply system.
