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    23-Oct-2017

Four referred to prosecution over Hallabat energy theft

 

The Jordan Times

 

AMMAN — Preventive Security Department personnel have wrapped up the initial investigation into the historic power theft case on a farm in Hallabat area and said they have arrested the owner and three employees of a power company, who “were proven to be involved in the case”, the Public Security Department (PSD) said 
 
on Sunday.
 
The PSD’s media centre said that following the raid on the farm earlier this month by security agencies and representatives of the Jordanian Electric Power Company (JEPCO), a special investigation team was formed to look into the case. 
 
During the raid, security personnel arrested a person who was responsible for administrating part of the farm that housed a fodder plant, and seized power inverters and cables that were used in the electricity theft, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.
 
Over the past two weeks, the PSD team had been collecting information about the main suspect, the owner of the farm, who was reportedly hiding in an apartment in Amman. After identifying his “safe house”, the agents arrested him for investigation. 
 
A JEPCO source said earlier that a technical inspection had shown that the theft included installing three-kilometre-long high voltage cables without obtaining necessary licences from the company, at a total cost of JD300,000, making it “the biggest theft in the history of the Kingdom”.
 
The PSD said that further investigation also revealed the involvement of three power company employees, who secured the necessary equipment for the theft in exchange for money.
 
The PSD said the three suspects were arrested at different times and locations.
 
In the initial probe, the three suspects had admitted to having an agreement with the owner of the farm to install illegal electric connections and had secured part of the equipment from the company without the knowledge of their employers.
 
Water and Irrigation Ministry employees inspected the farm, where they allegedly found 12 illegal wells that were later sealed according to the standard procedure.
 
All relevant documents and seized items, as well as the suspects, will now be referred to the Zarqa prosecutor general to start his probe and proceed with legal action.
 

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