PLN Investigates Electricity Theft Charges By Dharmawangsa Hotel
Wednesday, 08 July, 2009 | 19:15 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: The State Electricity Company’s (PLN) consumption surveillance team reportedly found power consumption manipulation by a luxury hotel in South Jakarta, causing losses to the state at an estimated Rp11.2 billion.

Information gathered by Tempo showed that the surveillance team, working with the national police, found that the electricity consumption gauge had been rigged to cut power consumption reading at the hotel by around 50 percent.

“Based on the findings by PLN, the electricity theft had been going on since 2005,” a source told Tempo. The source explained that the theft was conducted by forging readings of electricity consumption to reduce the electricity bill.

However, head of PLN’s Electricity Consumption Surveillance Team, Ronald Wattilete, said the team was still investigating the case. “This is still at the suspicion phase, not the conclusion,” he said, refusing to give further details.

A spokesperson for The Dharmawangsa denied the accusation. In an email response to Tempo, Lira Dachlan said “It is not true that our hotel has stolen electricity.”

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