Aug 05,2017

AMMAN — A total of 13,537 cases of electricity theft have been detected this year until the end of July, Chairman of the Board of Commissioners of the Energy and Mineral Resources Regulation Commission Farouq Hiari announced in a statement on Saturday.

Hiari said that the commission carried out a total of 17,814 regular inspections during the period, which resulted in the detection of 1,152 cases of electricity theft. The total number of cases registered, or pending in courts now amounts up to 2,308, he added.

Hiari stressed the importance of coordination between electricity distribution companies, the commission and public security forces as well as the gendarmerie. He called on involving the commission’s judicial control members in all the inspections campaigns carried out by the companies in order to ensure the professionalism of the process, and its completion in accordance with the law in addition to ensuring that the case is transferable to the judiciary.

The commission has reexamined the legislation governing the inspections campaigns with the aim of contributing to the reduction of illegal exploitation of electric power. It has also carried out several awareness campaigns around the Kingdom, according to the chairman.

Hiari emphasised that the commission will continue to address its role as a governmental agency working to regulate and control the sector to achieve the interests of citizens and companies alike.

Finally, he called on all citizens to report any case of illegal exploitation of electricity, whether to the commission or to electricity companies directly.

Hiari stressed the importance of the supervisory role exercised by the commission on the electricity companies and citizens to maintain a good relationship based on the common interests of all that does not allow any party to encroach on the rights of the other.

He reiterated the provisions of the law and the penalties incurred by violators, stating that the law “punishes all those who are illegally involved in the unlawful exploitation of electricity with imprisonment, fines or both.”

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