Company ordered to pay TNB RM476,000 for meter tampering

2026-03-23 - 09:30

TNB personnel discovered evidence of tampering, including missing terminal seals and an additional circuit, when they inspected the company’s premises in Port Klang. (Bernama pic) KUALA LUMPUR: The Klang sessions court has ordered a wood processing company to pay RM476,124.65 in compensation to Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) for meter tampering. Judge Sabri Ismail made the ruling after allowing the suit filed by the electricity utility company against Top Status KD Sdn Bhd. In his grounds of judgment dated March 18, Sabri dismissed the defendant’s claim that the sharp drop in electricity consumption was caused by the closure of factory operations during the movement control order (MCO) following the Covid-19 pandemic. The judge noted that the loss period began on Dec 31, 2019, while the MCO only came into force on March 18, 2020. “The defendant failed to explain the actual cause of the significant drop in electricity consumption during the disputed period from Dec 31, 2019, to Oct 31, 2020, and also failed to prove any manifest error in the plaintiff’s claim. “The defendant’s witness testimony did not cast doubt on the method of calculation or the accuracy of the statement. “The testimony amounted to a bare denial and did not discharge the burden of proof to rebut the plaintiff’s claim,” he said. The judge further stated that Sections 38(3), (4), and (5) of the Electricity Supply Act 1990 provide TNB with the right to claim revenue loss through civil proceedings once the offence of meter tampering is established under Section 37 of the same Act. On Oct 30, 2020, TNB personnel inspected the meter installation at the defendant’s premises in Port Klang and discovered evidence of tampering, including missing terminal seals and an additional circuit. Following the tampering, TNB calculated its loss of revenue and operating costs at RM476,124.65 before seeking to recover the amount from the defendant. The defendant, however, denied any knowledge of the tampering and maintained that the reduced electricity consumption was due to a decline in business operations during the period in question.