Gozo hotel suspected of Lm10,000 electricity theft

A "major" hotel in Gozo is being investigated on suspicion of electricity theft after a seal was found missing and the phase disconnected.

Sources close to Enemalta Corporation told The Times that the illegal practice yielded an unregistered and unbilled amount of Lm10,000 per annum.

Last month, Enemalta found 43 cases of meters that had been doctored during the 829 inspections it carried out among commercial, domestic and industrial consumers.

Out of these, 37 commercial consumers were found to have fiddled with the meters, with the rest being domestic consumers.

The highest number of meters that had been meddled with was identified in Mosta, where the number was 13, followed by Rabat, eight and Fgura, four.

Tampered meters were also found in St Paul's Bay, Mellieha, Naxxar, St Julians, Birzebbuga, Hamrun, Msida, Zejtun, Zurrieq, Zabbar, Tarxien, Attard, and Dingli.

This brings the total number of tampered meters this year to 294, over 100 more than the total amount nabbed last year.

In its suggestions on the fuel price options, Alternattiva Demokratika had called on Enemalta to clamp down on electricity and water theft in order to net Lm5 million in the first year, going up to Lm10 million by the third year.