Tuesday 27/January/2026 – 11:25 PM
Representative Basem Al-Sawaf, member of the Constitutional and Legislative Affairs Committee B., revealedHouse of Representativesabout the details of the discussions witnessed by the committee regarding the amendments to the draft law submitted by the government regarding the electricity law, stressing that Parliament is still in the study and evaluation stage, and has not decided its position on the financial or criminal penalties contained in the amendments.
Member of the Legislative Council of Representatives: Fines for electricity theft reach one million pounds, and we are waiting for the minister in Parliament
Al-Sawaf added, in television statements, that the Legislative Committee discussed the draft amendment in the presence of the Energy Committee, as they are the two specialized committees, noting that the government explained in the explanatory memorandum that the primary goal of the amendments is to reduce the percentage of electricity loss, which is estimated at about 20% of the total national production annually.
He explained that this percentage is divided between technical losses resulting from transportation and distribution problems, and other losses due to the theft of electricity and its illegal seizure, without the government precisely determining whether these thefts are concentrated in the residential or commercial sector.
The member of the Constitutional Council of Representatives indicated that the proposed draft law includes amending Articles 70 and 71, in addition to adding a new article, which tightens the penalties for crimes of seizing electricity, compared to the current text, which stipulates a fine of not less than 10 thousand pounds or imprisonment for a period of up to 6 months, or one of the two penalties.
Al-Sawaf stressed that what was announced as preliminary approval within the committee does not mean approval of fines ranging between 100,000 and one million pounds, or of custodial penalties, explaining that this approval came to open the door to expanded discussion about the philosophy of the amendment, and to listen to different points of view.
He stressed the importance of linking any potential penalties to the extent of service availability to citizens, pointing out that there are cases in which citizens submitted official requests to install meters months ago, and they should not be considered violators or power thieves in light of the delay in procedures, especially in the event of official requests or reconciliation minutes.
Al-Sawaf concluded by stressing that the committee is awaiting the presence of the Minister of Electricity during the upcoming meetings, in order to discuss the amendments in depth, and reach a balanced formula that achieves the state’s right to protect its resources, without burdening citizens with unfair burdens.
