Kota Kinabalu: The Energy Commission of Sabah (ECoS) will intensify enforcement against electricity theft by prosecuting both syndicates supplying illegal connections and households benefiting from them, said its Investigation Director Rahim Tahir.
He said the approach was necessary to break the cycle of illegal electricity connections, particularly at squatter settlements, where cutting off illegal supplies alone had proven ineffective.
“We will look for and prosecute in court the syndicates and the houses that are connected to the illegal supply. Not only the syndicates.
“The people who make the connections will be prosecuted, and those who benefit from them will also be prosecuted,” he said during an ECoS media briefing, here, Tuesday.
Rahim said previous enforcement operations focused mainly on cutting illegal connections, but the supply was often restored within hours.
“Now we are taking a different approach. We want operations to result in arrests and prosecutions,” he said.
He said illegal connections involved two parties, namely those offering the service and those willing to pay for or accept it.
“If there is someone offering the service but nobody dares to have it connected, there is no way for it to continue.
“Or if someone wants a connection but does not know how to do it and nobody offers the service, it also cannot happen.
“So both sides need to be there, and that’s why we are taking action against both,” he said.
Rahim said the situation involving illegal connections in Sabah was very serious, especially in the more than 200 squatter settlements identified Statewide, particularly in major urban areas such as Kota Kinabalu, Sandakan and Tawau.
He said enforcement operations could be challenging as they involved multiple agencies, depending on the nature of the offences.
ECoS’ authority mainly covers electricity-related offences, while cases involving undocumented persons require cooperation with the Immigration Department and other criminal offences involve the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM).
He said five operations recently highlighted by ECoS were led by the commission, although ECoS also participated in operations led by other agencies.
An operation could take three to four days and was not necessarily completed within a single day, he said.
Safety was also a major concern, particularly in squatter settlements where illegal wiring could expose enforcement personnel to electric shocks.
He said coordination with other agencies was therefore crucial, including electrical safety checks by ECoS and Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd before enforcement teams entered an area.
Other security threats would be handled by the relevant enforcement agencies, while the Fire and Rescue Department would assist in incidents such as fires.
Rahim said legal action could be taken against those involved in illegal connections and such cases would not normally be compounded.
“We will prosecute. We will proceed with prosecution because we want to show that these cases are very serious,” he said.
He said the offences were not merely about electricity losses but also involved serious safety risks, as illegal methods of connection could cause fires and electric shocks.
He cited a major case where a RM635,000 compound was imposed, noting that a fatal accident involving a member of the local community had previously occurred at the location.
While prosecutors would seek appropriate punishment, he said the final decision rested with the court.
Rahim said ECoS had information on other syndicates and would continue monitoring and conducting operations against them, with enforcement carried out in cooperation with agencies including PDRM and the Immigration Department.
Earlier during the briefing, Rahim said the commission had significantly stepped up enforcement against electricity theft statewide, resulting in non-technical power losses declining steadily from 5.40 per cent in 2024 to 4.97 per cent in 2025 and 4.81 per cent in 2026.
“Strict legal action without compromise will continue to be taken against any individual or party engaged in meter tampering or illegal power connections to curb revenue losses and safeguard public safety against fire hazards and electric shock risks,” he said.
ECoS identified meter tampering and illegal connections as the two primary forms of electricity theft.
Meter tampering involves registered consumers manipulating metering systems to under-report consumption, while illegal connections refer to unauthorised access to the electricity grid, commonly found in squatter settlements.
Both forms pose serious risks, including electrocution, fire hazards, power instability and significant losses of state revenue.
Under the Electricity Supply Enactment 2024, offenders face severe penalties under various provisions.
Section 8(1)(b), for supplying power without a licence, and Section 61(1), for tampering with installations, carry fines of up to RM1 million, imprisonment of up to 10 years, or both.
Section 61(3), involving dishonest use of electricity, carries fines of up to RM50,000 for domestic users and up to RM1 million for non-domestic or repeat offenders, together with imprisonment of up to five or 10 years.
Section 61(8), involving unapproved wiring, carries a fine of up to RM50,000 or imprisonment of up to one year, while Section 61(9), involving meter damage, carries a fine of up to RM100,000 or imprisonment of up to two years.
Raids targeting meter tampering rose from 21 in 2024 to 70 in 2025 and 190 in 2026.
Commercial premises accounted for 21 raids in 2024, 67 in 2025 and 89 in 2026, while raids at domestic properties increased from none in 2024 to three in 2025 and 101 in 2026.
Enforcement against meter tampering resulted in one compound and 11 fines in 2024, 12 compounds and 25 fines in 2025, and 17 compounds and 19 fines in 2026.
Operations against illegal connections also increased from no raids in 2024 and one raid involving two cases in 2025 to five raids involving 67 recorded cases in 2026.
The 2026 illegal connection cases resulted in 17 compounds, 19 fines and six imprisonment sentences.
Between 2024 and 2026, ECoS issued 32 compounds worth a total of RM1,705,000.
It also recorded a 100 per cent prosecution success rate in court, winning all 55 cases brought to trial, with total court fines amounting to RM1,010,200.
Among key cases was that of Piril Bin Buino (IMM13 holder) in Sepanggar, who was charged under Sections 8, 61(3)(a) and 61(8), and sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment after failing to pay a RM40,000 fine.
In Sandakan, Zaini Bin Mubin (IMM13 holder) was charged under Sections 8(1)(b), 61(1), 61(3)(a) and 61(8), and received three months’ imprisonment after failing to pay a RM194,000 fine.
Abdul Hamid Siddiq, an undocumented immigrant in Sandakan, was sentenced under Sections 61(1) and 61(8) to 24 months’ and six months’ imprisonment, respectively.
Other Sandakan cases involved Asis Bin Cengkuru and Leken Jiram, both undocumented immigrants, charged under Sections 8(1)(b), 61(1), 61(3)(a) and 61(8).
They were each sentenced to eight months’ imprisonment after failing to pay fines of RM635,000 and RM188,000, respectively.
Passport holder Samailah Cuba paid RM129,000 in fines for similar offences. His passport was cancelled and he was transferred to an Immigration Detention Centre pending deportation.
To maintain compliance and public safety, ECoS regularly conducts joint enforcement operations and strategic engagements with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), PDRM, Immigration Department, Eastern Sabah Security Command (Esscom) and Sabah Electricity.