Further five Enemalta employees suspended in relation to electricity theft

Five Enemalta employees were suspended today as investigation into theft of electricity from Enemalta intensified. The total number of suspended employees has now reached eight.

No ranks of workers have been named, although top management was said not to be involved in the racket.

Hundreds of residences and businesses are believed to have benefited from the "expert job" that saw the new smart meters accessed and inserted with a special device that recorded less energy units being consumed.

Energy minister Konrad Mizzi yesterday revealed the outcome of a preliminary investigation that found 1,000 smart meters had been tampered with, leading to the suspension of three Enemalta employees.

Addressing parliament this evening, Mizzi said the theft of electricity, instensifying after 2011, has amounted to 10% of the total electricity generated by Enemalta.

"Upon taking helm of this ministry, we found a total disaster in every section, including the distribution and lack of investment in generation of electricity and metering," he said.

"But what irritated us the most was the rampant theft of electricity, confirmed in 2011 and exploding in following years."

Mizzi said the theft had resulted in a €30 million loss for Enemalta: "Loss which families and honest businesses have to make up for."

Insisting he will not tolerate the racket, Mizzi informed parliament his ministry had set up a Theft Control Unit with the aim of studying existing thefts within Enemalta.

The unit has carried out a detailed analysis of the existing different methods of theft.

"We discovered that the most common system was that of a smart meter that registered less energy units than actually consumed. A number of smart meters were sent to energy corporation Enel that discovered the smart meters had been tampered with."

The unit's investigation, he added, uncovered "a clear pattern of theft".

Mizzi added that the "web was getting bigger and much more remained to be uncovered".

The minister said he was personally disappointed and angry at the theft: "Even more so, I am angry that the previous administration knew about the thefts but nothing was done."

Mizzi urged anyone with any information to come forward and eradicate the abuse. "We already had persons coming forward out of their own will with information."

He also urged consumers who are stealing electricity - recording less than actually consuming - to stop doing so.

"We will leave no stone unturned," he warned.