CDEEE submits proposal for law

[NewsWhore]

The Dominican Corporation for State-owned Electricity Enterprises (CDEEE) has asked the President to submit a bill penalizing electricity fraud with severe economic sanctions and prison terms to Congress. The proposal has been reviewed by a special Presidential commission and would grant discretionary powers to the local electricity companies (the EDEs) to determine whether fraud exists, but it does not have any consumer protection mechanisms. The proposal would punish tampering with electric meters, using electronic devices or making direct connections to the system. Even "attempting to commit fraud" is punishable in the proposal. For users of less than 1000 kw/hr, the suggested penalties go from 15-day to 3-month prison terms and fines that range from 5 to 10 minimum salaries. For larger consumers, the penalties range up to five years in prison and as much as the equivalent of 5,000 minimum salaries. Anyone convicted would have to pay for the stolen electricity, based on an average of the previous five months. An assistant prosecutor will be assigned to the electricity distributors to create an "electricity fraud charge."

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