By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Nov 17: Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP) Dudong Branch chairman Wong Ching Yong has urged property owners to guard against tenant misconduct after a Sibu couple received a shocking RM280,000 letter of demand stemming from a tenant’s alleged illegal power tapping for suspected crypto activity.
In a statement, Wong said the middle-aged couple sought help from him on the matter, explaining that they owned a shophouse in Sibu, which was let to a company and was supposed to be used as a store.
“The monthly rental was RM1,000, and a tenancy agreement was signed by both parties in January 2024. In August this year, the owners received a letter of demand from Sarawak Energy for outstanding electricity charges amounting to RM280,000. The couple was shocked because the tenant did not install an electricity meter,” he said.
Investigations revealed that the tenant company had illegally connected cables from the public power lines and was suspected of being involved in cryptocurrency, which consumed huge amounts of electricity.
Following the owners’ appeal, Sarawak Energy agreed to reduce the arrears to around RM98,000 and allowed the couple to pay in instalments, which Wong said was still a big sum of money.
He said after consulting with lawyers, it was explained that Sarawak Energy invoked Section 29(2) of the Sarawak Electricity Ordinance, which not only empowers them to disconnect electricity supply if the arrear was not settled, but also to disconnect electricity supply to other premises registered in the name of the electricity consumer.
“Under Section 29 of the said ordinance, the law states that if a consumer or occupant misuses the supply, Sarawak Energy may discontinue to supply electricity,” he said.
Wong also said that under section 33(5) of Chapter 50, anyone who is found guilty of misusing power supply can face penalties of up to RM200,000, five years’ imprisonment, or both.
Therefore, he said, property owners have been advised to do the following:
- Detailed research on the background of the prospective tenants, as well as inquiring about the tenants’ purposes for renting the building.
- Surprise visits to ascertain whether the commercial activities are legal and whether there is power theft.
- All tenancy agreements must be prepared by lawyers who are well-versed in the Sarawak Electricity Ordinance.
- Tenants must apply for their own electricity meter instead of using the landowner’s name to register.
“Almost all the building owners will ponder if they could sue Sarawak Energy for being unfair and inhumane to impose such a hefty penalty. The legal advice obtained is that the penalties are imposed in accordance with the Sarawak Electricity Ordinance, which was passed in the Sarawak Legislative Assembly (DUS).
“Although the consumers do have the constitutional right to start an action against Sarawak Energy, the consumers still face a big legal mountain to climb.
“Therefore, the best policy is to exercise an abundance of caution before letting the building to a prospective tenant. One must also bear in mind that legal fees can be painfully expensive,” he said. — DayakDaily
