KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 28 — Premise owners who use illegal electrical extensions to obtain electricity will be punished with hefty fines and a maximum two-year jail term, said the Energy Commission.
The Energy Commission, which regulates electricity supply, said it will be increasing its random checks in Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah, and will carry out full enforcement of the Electricity Supply Act 1990.
"The commission is more than ready to haul up those who have made illegal connections on their premises, and slap them with a maximum fine of RM10,000, or imprisonment of up to two years, or both. The focus will also be on private homeowners," the commission's spokesman was quoted telling local daily New Straits Times.
Under Section 37(13) of the Electricity Supply Act 1990, it is an offence to install electrical wiring or extensions to existing wiring on premises without prior written approval from the electricity supplier.
The same section states that this offence is punishable with a maximum RM10,000 fine and maximum two-year jail term or both.
The spokesman said the commission had in 2016 found 245 premises with illegal extensions, a problem which it believed is widespread in squatter areas and low-cost residential areas.
Illegal wiring extensions — which are unsafe and may cause fires — are usually done to steal electricity, which is also punishable under Section 37(3) by a fine of between RM1,000 to RM50,000 or a maximum one-year jail term or both for a first-time offender who is a domestic consumer.
The punishments become heftier for non-domestic consumer and those who repeat the offence.
According to the commission, 172 cases of electrical theft were recorded last year, but 206 cases have already been recorded since this January.
