Man Sentenced to Six Years for Electric Cables Theft

A man was sentenced to six years in prison for stealing electric cables worth over 3.8 million birr in Addis Ababa's Yeka Sub-city, in a case that also saw a construction company ordered to pay compensation for damaging nearby power infrastructure.

A Man was sentenced to six years' imprisonment for electric cable theft in Addis Ababa Yeka Sub-city near Kotebe Kidanemihret.

Yeka Sub-city Police Office in collaboration with East Addis Ababa Region law department caught the criminal at the end of last March when he was attempting to hide electric cables, aluminums and coppers in a living house near Kotebe Kidanemihret. The stolen electric cables valued more than 3.8 million birr.

Federal First Instance Court, 2nd Criminal Bench Yeka Branch sentenced the criminal to six years in prison after listening to the witnesses.

On another occasion, a lifting winch that fell from a building under construction caused severe damage to the nearby medium voltage line and transformer in Yeka sub-city near Hebron pharmacy.

By the accident that occurred, a concrete pole carrying a transformer and the medium voltage line in the nearby was damaged by the winch that fell from the 12th floor of the building.

The Utility has spent more than 1.9 million birr to replace the damaged electric line and transformer.

The Federal First Instance Court 2nd civil bench Yeka branch which had been looking at the case, has made a decision after examining the evidence.

The organization that caused the damage was ordered to pay 1 million 959 thousand 783 birr as compensation to the Utility.

Currently, the defendant has paid 250 thousand birr and is on schedule to pay the remaining amount.