GEORGE TOWN: A 46-year-old clerk is in a fix after he was told to pay nearly RM97,000 in electricity charges to Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB).

       Chan Kok Leong said he was shocked when he received a legal notice from TNB, which claimed that he owed RM96,811.65 in electricity charges for a shophouse in Tasek Gelugor.

       He denied owning or renting the unit at any point of time, adding that the charges were apparently incurred between June 25, 2020, and March 26, 2021.

       “I believe somebody had misused my personal details to register for electricity supply,” he said at a press meet held by Penang MCA public service and complaints bureau head Ooi Teik Liang at Penang MCA headquarters yesterday.

       Chan, who lodged a police report over the matter on May 16, said the notice was sent to his mother’s house in Paya Terubong.

       He said in the court documents issued by the Butterworth Magistrate’s Court as well as notices from a legal firm, he was told to present himself in court regarding an unpaid electric bill registered in his name at an address in Tasek Gelugor.

       Ooi said Chan, who works as a clerk at a funeral parlour in Batu Gantung here, could not visit his mother in Paya Terubong during lockdown due to his line of work.

       “Chan did meet up with TNB’s lawyers, who showed him a photo of the shophouse in Tasek Gelugor.

       “He denied owning or renting the shophouse,” said Ooi, adding that the MCA would provide Chan with legal aid and urged TNB to carry out an internal investigation into the matter.