Liberia: LEC Anti-Power Theft Task Force Arrests 23 Business Owners in Margibi County

Margibi County—The Liberia Electricity Corporation’s (LEC) anti-power theft task force has apprehended 23 business owners, including both foreign nationals and Liberians, in Kakata, Margibi County, for alleged illegal electricity connections.

By: Yawah Y. Jaivey contributing writer

Of those arrested, 17 are males and six females. They were reportedly operating their businesses with illegal connections to the LEC grid. Some were bypassing the meter systems installed by the LEC, while others had direct connections without any meters, LEC said.

The suspects operating businesses including cold storage facilities, entertainment centers, provision shops, and barber shops, are accused of allegedly benefiting from stolen electricity.

Clifford Russell, head of compliance at the LEC’s anti-power theft task force, speaking to reporters as the accused were being whisked to Monrovia for further investigation, claimed that the suspects had violated Liberia’s 2019 Anti-Power Theft Law.

“We have experienced significant losses at the LEC, largely due to the high levels of electricity theft by both businesses and residential customers,” Russell alleged.

He also linked Liberia’s ongoing difficulties with settling debts owed to the Ivorian government for power supplied via the CLSG (Côte d’Ivoire-Liberia-Sierra Leone-Guinea) power grid to the widespread issue of electricity theft.

Russell vowed to intensify efforts to root out power theft in Kakata and surrounding areas.

“Today, we focused on businesses, but we will soon extend our operations to residential homes. Anyone caught stealing electricity will be arrested and prosecuted under the 2019 Anti-Power Theft Law,” Russell warned.

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