The Nationalist Party has said that “many people are noticing higher electricity bills because, for reasons that remain unclear, a number of bills are being issued without the Eco-reduction being applied.”

The PN claimed that “even worse is the fact that ARMS has been aware for a year that there was an error in its system, yet instead of informing consumers, it left them completely in the dark.”

It added that “as a result, hundreds, if not thousands, of families have been losing out on the Eco-reduction for at least a year, with ARMS only correcting the bills of those who lodge a complaint, without refunding the excess amounts paid on bills that had already been issued before the problem was identified.”

Shadow Minister for Energy and Water Conservation Mark Anthony Sammut and Shadow Minister for Inclusion and Consumer Rights Graziella Galea, stated that over the past year or more, “a number of residential electricity bills have been issued without the Eco-reduction being applied. This means that individuals who should qualify for the Eco-reduction – a 25% discount for those who do not consume electricity excessively – are being denied this benefit due to this error in the ARMS system.”According to PN, “ARMS has been aware of this situation since at least February 2025, as confirmed by internal emails in the possession of the Nationalist Party. However, at no point did ARMS issue any notices to inform the public of this issue or to ensure that everyone was receiving the Eco-reduction to which they are entitled. Instead, only those who complain have their situation corrected within the system.”

The PN Shadow Ministers urged consumers to check their residential electricity bills, where at least one person is registered, and to ensure that the Eco-reduction line appears on the bill.

They said that “this billing chaos reflects the wider chaos within ARMS – chaos that has resulted from a series of promotions given to insiders, creating serious injustices. This has led to a number of resignations by competent individuals, leaving ARMS today in a dire state.”

The PN stated that “the ARMS officials responsible for these injustices include the Chairperson of Nisa Laburisti Nikita Zammit Alamango; the Labour Party Treasurer Marisa Ciappara; Ray Falzon, a member of the Labour Party Executive; and another individual who heads the Human Resources office and who was placed in this senior ARMS position directly from the Office of former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat. Three of these four individuals are not only Labour activists but are also officials within the Labour Party Executive.”

The PN went on to say that “these abuses – carried out by a board that resembles a Labour Party board more than that of a public entity – led around 70 individuals to file appeals after feeling that an injustice had been committed against them. Of these, 60 appeals were upheld.

The PN also claimed that “the chaos within ARMS has been so severe that in recent weeks a number of employees have resigned – including employees with Labour sympathies – because they do not agree with the way this entity is being run, particularly under Chief Executive Officer George Azzopardi, who until a few years ago was also Chief Executive Officer of the Labour Party.”

The PN spokespersons said that despite Minister Miriam Dalli, who is responsible for ARMS, being aware of all the chaos unfolding within the entity, “she has remained inactive and has done absolutely nothing to try to remedy the situation.”

Mark Anthony Sammut and Graziella Galea said that ARMS “must immediately state how many bills were affected by the Eco-reduction error and provide an immediate remedy.”

They concluded by saying that the Minister “must be transparent and state how long she has been aware of this billing chaos, who will be held responsible for concealing it, and when she will implement the Standard Operating Procedures recommended by the Appeals Board that the Government itself had established.”

Photos: PN

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