Now we known why TNB losing money... and why the needs to adjust power tariff.

One clear case of a privatized corporate but still behaving like a Malaysia government department.


Stolen TNB parts used in projects
By Marc Lourdesnews@nst.com.my

KUALA LUMPUR: Stolen Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) parts are being used in several public street lighting projects in Johor Baru.

Although only one such development has been positively identified so far, it is believed that between three and nine other such projects, each worth between RM100,000 and RM600,000, are also using the stolen parts.

The pilfered parts included concrete poles, insulator piecing connectors and cables.

The parts, installed by private contractors hired by the Johor Baru City Council (MBJB), clearly bear the TNB imprint and are believed to have been stolen from a TNB store in Johor Jaya.

The matter came to light few months ago when the local TNB branch noticed that the projects were using TNB materials.
Furthermore, electricity supply was being connected to the street lights without TNB's permission.

The utility officials wrote several letters to MBJB on the matter but never received any response.

Sources said TNB's investigation and intelligence unit began looking into the issue sometime in September.

Their investigation resulted in a police report being lodged against one of the projects in Skudai on Oct 10.

The report highlighted the use of 10 concrete poles belonging to TNB in the project.

It is understood TNB had purchased the items from a Nilai-based supplier in January last year and kept them in a company store in Johor Jaya.

It is believed that the poles were stolen from the store by a company employee and sold to the contractors through a middleman.

However, it is not immediately known when the 9m long poles disappeared from the company store.

Sources said the modus operandi of the thief was to remove the items from the company compound, and leave them outside, as if they were to be transported to a TNB project elsewhere.

He would then, gradually move the supplies to his middleman, who would sell it to the contractors.

There were suspicions that the theft could just be the tip of the iceberg as the middleman dealing with the sale had previously been arrested in connection with another case involving stolen TNB parts.

He was nabbed at Tanjung Pelepas late last year while trying to bribe an undercover ACA officer to turn a blind eye to his activities.

When contacted, the contractor involved said he had subcontracted the job to someone else, who in turn, had subcontracted it to somebody else.

"We did not know the items were stolen goods until informed by the TNB investigators.

"Only then, we found out that the second subcontractor previously had a bad record with TNB previously."

Seri Alam police, under whose jurisdiction the case falls, said the matter was being investigated and that those involved would soon be called for questioning.

MBJB assistant traffic director Mohd Rafi Jasman, when contacted, said his department was awaiting a report from TNB.



Mohd Rafi added that so far, the city council had only identified four projects with such problems.