KLANG, March 25 — A sessions court here has ordered shoplot owner Choo Lee Chen to pay Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) RM26,146.70 for an “undercharged” electricity bill, according to Free Malaysia Today (FMT).
According to the report, TNB filed the suit in 2024 over alleged irregular electricity usage at Choo’s shoplot in Kota Bayu Emas Pendamar, Port Klang, claiming it was linked to Bitcoin mining.
Officers inspecting the unit in July 2020 discovered that the meter had been tampered with, with wiring from the incoming supply isolator bypassing the meter to a distribution box.
Choo argued she rented the shoplot to a company and that the tenant should be responsible for electricity usage. TNB had initially sought RM61,310.05 from her for the underpaid bills.
Sessions Court judge Noorhisham Jaafar clarified the calculation and held Choo liable as the registered consumer, saying she had a contractual relationship with TNB for electricity supply.
“As a matter of general principle, contractual and statutory obligations under the Electricity Supply Act attach to the registered consumer unless and until the account is lawfully transferred or terminated,” the judge said, according to FMT.
Noorhisham also noted that the tenant moved out in April 2019, about a year before TNB’s inspection, and that Choo had taken no action against the firm, including lodging a police report or civil proceedings.
He added that the lack of documentary proof or action “sits uneasily with the stance now adopted in these proceedings, particularly given that vacant possession was already returned to her more than a year before the inspection,” FMT reported.
