MEW systems compromised, electricity invoices changedThe investigation into the infiltration of the Ministry’s computer systems by a seven-member gang and the subsequent manipulation of bill values after official working hours has been sent to the Public Funds Prosecution, according to sources within the Ministry of Electricity, Water, and Renewable Energy, reports Al-Jarida daily. This referral is intended to determine the amount of money lost as a result of this illegal activity and to start the process of recovering the state funds that were wrongfully taken. The Daily quoted sources stating that the case file was transferred to the Cybercrimes Prosecution after the Public Prosecution’s investigations were completed, and then it was transferred to the Public Funds Prosecution.

To aid in the recovery of misappropriated funds, the latter is entrusted with evaluating the tampered bill amounts and determining the beneficiaries of this tampering. According to investigations, there is a good chance that a Ministry insider who worked with the gang and had the necessary skills to manipulate the system enabled the breach. The Ministry of Electricity has put strict measures in place to restrict the amount of authorized personnel who have access to the system as a result of this breach. Moreover, only heads of customer service offices are now authorized to issue large bills with substantial financial consequences.

After the Ministry of Electricity revealed the tampering incident in August of last year, the Electronic Crimes Department opened an investigation into the matter after receiving a complaint from the Ministry. The Ministry’s physical space and electronic systems were inspected, and it was found that unauthorized users, including those not connected to the Ministry, had gained access to the system, indicating that security flaws had been exploited. The system breach was verified by additional monitoring and surveillance operations, which is why the case was referred to the Public Prosecution for additional investigation. Another development was the site visit by a combined team from the Ministries of Works and Electricity to various areas of the new T2 airport project. The installation of solar panels as part of this project will produce 17 megawatts of energy from renewable sources. The team confirmed that the solar panel project will follow designated routes and adhere to necessary standards. By reducing electrical loads, the energy produced will improve the airport project’s operational efficiency.