Hotel director tampered with electricity meters

The director of the former Les Lapin Hotel in Ta’ Xbiex was this morning conditionally discharged for one year and ordered to pay €160 in court expenses after he was found guilty of tampering with the hotel’s electricity meters. Dieter Fenech, 36, from Mellieha had been charged with tampering with the meters and defrauding Enemalta of €32,000 worth of electricity. He was charged following an inspection in July 2002, when it had been noted that the red seals in the plant room had been tampered with. However, he was acquitted of stealing the electricity as the consumption remained the same even after new meters were installed. As the person in charge, he was found criminally responsible for damaging the seals.