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Online poll | Majority say no to energy theft amnesty
65% of respondents of MaltaToday online poll say scamming consumers should be charged with corruption, 35% stand by government’s amnesty plan
22 February 2014, 12:00am
Staff Reporter
Staff Reporter
1 min read
The latest MaltaToday online poll shows that the majority of respondents disagree with the proposed amnesty for bribers implicated in the energy theft scandal.
While urging consumers involved in the theft of electricity to come forward with relevant information, the government said customers involved in the scam would be granted protection under the whistleblower act.
Described by the government as the "best way to go after the big fish", Enemalta subsequently decided to waive criminal steps against the consumers as long as they come forward, pay their dues and penalties and provide information that helps "capture the masterminds"of the criminal web.
A total of 1,182 votes (35%) agreed with the government's plan and said that the real culprits are the ones who devised the scam and believe that consumers and businesses who had their meters tampered with, should not be charged with corruption.
The government's amnesty plan was met with particular disdain from the Nationalist Party who argued that the police are duty bound the consumers whose smart-meters had been tampered with.
Echoing the PN's criticism, the majority of the online poll or 65% of the 3,424 respondents said consumers who had their meter tampered with should be charged with corruption because they corrupted Enemalta officials to pay less for energy.
Abdi D •
If these are prosecuted, the prosecution will have to prove they did the corrupting and not the other way round. If they pay a fine and the money they stole, they can turn state witness, and whoever masterminded this thing will be prosecuted. I cannot imagine how a consumer can corrupt a technician, how does he meet him, how does he device a plan. It is quite clear that it was the other way round, the consumers were offered metres, so it was enemalta employees who did the corruption not the consumers.
The only ones to gain from the prosecution of the consumers are the lawyers, who will earn a quick buck, without doing much, cause it will not be easy to prove corruption, and they will pocket the money that would have gone to pay enemalta. PN Partit tal-Avukati.
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With all due respects, the survey in my opinion was flawed by the wordings of the questions as put.
Consummers should be charged with corruption because they corrupted Enemalta officials to pay less for energy. Why not the other way round? Which is the more feasable?
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Quote " Echoing the PN's criticism "
Maybe the whole point of the poll ? A very biased and limited view which says a lot about the credibility of some article editors ! How much of the taxpayers money would be spent to prosecute the 1000s of offenders ? Will the costs outweigh the results obtained . If some businesses are run into the ground , only the workers will be punished . Maybe some people are afrid that more persond are uncovered ?? A political hot potato with many different views .
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The current government has applied what the current Enemalta electricity regulations stipulate. Just read them and you will see for yourselves. I did. And remember that the current regulations were established in 2006 by the previous PN administration.
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The current government has applied what the current Enemalta electricity regulations stipulate. Just read them and you will see for yourselves. I did. And remember that the current regulations were established in 2006 by the previous PN administration.
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The way I see it, either charge everybody or charge none. Paying somebody to temper with your Smart Meter makes you an accessory to the crime and you are just as guilty as the person who tempered with your meter. Since when is the victim, (the tax payer)who follows and obeys the law has become the liability? All these people broke the law and they ALL must pay for their sins. Stop making excuses for those that broke the law. I wouldn't be surprised that the 35% that voted for amnesty are either PL supporters or guilty of bribing the Enemalta employees to tamper with their Smart Meter. Even the Government of the day wishes to forgive and forget. If I give someone the keys to my house and tell them to go rob my house, that makes me just as guilty. Grow up people because if the government who has no business interfering with police investigations in the first place and dictating to the courts how to proceed, then this land of ours is no Democracy. It seems like this government is condoning stealing from the government. This government should let the police and the courts do their job. Stop trying to protect those that have broken the law by bribing Enemalta officials. Either punish all or nothing.
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(1) @ edd, I would add "ASS" TO YOUR "SMARTs'". (2) @ madoffi, (a) too true but only for the big commercial users that SELL that water again for extremely high profits, Then they camouflage those profits later with highly dubious losses to lower tax payments (just in case you were going to defend them by saying these large users pay tax on profits)! (b) Then again, why go for the throats of small offenders, who are after all paying for bowser water thus saving so much energy and distribution costs of PURE, expensively produced tap water, although it arrives at the tap full of dirt and rust!! Moreover these large commercial water extractors/users/resellers are very well known (but protected???)
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(1) @ edd, I would add "ASS" TO YOUR "SMARTs'". (2) @ madoffi, (a) too true but only for the big commercial users that SELL that water again for extremely high profits, Then they camouflage those profits later with highly dubious losses to lower tax payments (just in case you were going to defend them by saying these large users pay tax on profits)! (b) Then again, why go for the throats of small offenders, who are after all paying for bowser water thus saving so much energy and distribution costs of PURE, expensively produced tap water, although it arrives at the tap full of dirt and rust!! Moreover these large commercial water extractors/users/resellers are very well known (but protected???)
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You are wrong in saying that consumers corrupted those who tempered the meters. It is most probable the other way round. The officials are the ones who tampered the meters, but moreover the officials have corrupted the consumers by asking them if they want a tempered meter. If you are not holier than holy than the consumer woild fall for it. So stop saying that consumers should be prosecuted of bribery. They were victoms of the officials. Who would ask the meter meter installer for a tempered meter?
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Il qalb tghidlek bhall 65% imma il mohh jghidlek mod iehor. lewwel nett ma hemmx spazju bizzejjed go kordin ghal dawn il prigunieri kollha. It tieni il kawzi jdumu jkarkru is snin. It toelet xse jiehu it tax payer jekk dawn jintefghu gol habs? Xejn. Hekk ghal linqas dawk li serqu se jhallsu iktar milli serqu u Enemalta tista tibda tiehu ir ruh.Dawk in nazzjonalisti li qieghdin ihambqu fuq l-amnestijja iharsu ftit lejn il passat taghhom u jsibu bizibilju ta amnestijji anke li baruni tad droga.
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Those who voted to have more than 1000 consumers to Court seem to have no idea of what that means ! It means YEARS wasted waiting for a sentence, MANY MILLIONS OF EUROS LOST to Enemalta, thus to Maltese taxpayers, ENORMOUS COURT COSTS, which we can never be sure how much of that cost is recovered. And the possibility of either many of them being found not guilty, or else getting a suspended sentence !
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To the 65% of the 3,424 respondents of the poll which equals 2,225.6 one says "he who is totally clean, pure and without blemish hurls the first stone". And 2,225.6 respondents only represent 6.2% of the 36,000 crushing majority which dumped the PN into oblivion.
Joseph MELI •
This responsible level of accuracy ,honesty and transparency regarding numbers and relating to percentages and that both are clearly presented in findings of polls/surveys is what I am talking about and for which MT should receive deserved praise ,as the newspaper is unique in this aspect .
Joseph Grech •
With over 250 businesses involved I am surprised that over the past weeks the GRTU and other similar organizations have remained very silent. The least that could be expected is for them to issue a statement showing disdain for this activity. Maybe they should also campaign for the quick installation of meters on all boreholes. The value of water extracted from the aquifer is comparable to the amount of electricity theft.
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The PN should be the last one to oppose any amnesty operated by an Administration, seeing they awarded so many amenities to tax evaders, money launderers, exchange control abusers and even, for that matter, energy thieves. Not to mention pardons for drug dealers and big time financially connected, real corruption,inside trading robbers and thieves!! One's initial reaction would be to show aversion to any amnesty given for any type of offender. That is only natural. However, what is the usual result of forcing court action, either civil or criminal. Dodgy at best, as the accuser would need to submit the body of proof; and that is not always possible to establish clearly, unequivocally and without reasonable doubt. So when one is faced with such a massive number of like minded citizens determined to rob the State and the State cannot really EFFECTIVELY bring to book all that robbed the State, and it would be extremely difficult to establish sins of commission to Court standards of proof, I would agree with amnesties. At least the other citizens would collect all the money lost+. AMNESTIES SHOULD NEVER BE GIVEN TO POLITICIANS AND LONG STANDING PUBLIC OFFICERS IN HIGH POSITIONS. Otherwise we should prosecute all public servants for the money they steal by not working the hours they should!!! Think about that.
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The government should appoint a number of extra magistrates and all these cases of tampering with electricity meters will be heard by them.In England at present a reform in law is being proposed where a magistrate will sit at a police station and hears a case there and then. The government should be careful not to appear as if it is covering some persons who are doing this. All this sleeze which is surfacing is making us stink!
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65% SMART respondents are equal to 100%SMART meters
