Three people and two Perth companies have received fines totalling almost $40,000 for taking part in an illegal licence-sharing arrangement involving solar installations at 25 properties.

Jafal Brothers Pty Ltd, its director Rohit Kumar Jafal and Tanway Engineering Pty Ltd and its director Sukujohn Tharakan pleaded guilty to offences under Western Australia’s electricity licensing regulations at Perth Magistrates Court in June 2024.

A third man had previously pleaded guilty in April to related charges and is not named due to a spent conviction.

The regulations stipulate that only a person authorised by an electrical contractor licence can carry on business as a contractor. This includes entering into contracts, employing electrical workers and authorising workers to complete electrical safety certificates for electrical installing work carried out on behalf of the contractor.

The court heard that Jafal was a licensed worker who carried out electrical installing work for Jafal Brothers — a business that traded as WA A1 Electrical but was not a licensed contractor. Jafal Brothers was fined $12,500 for misrepresenting itself as a contractor, which included receiving payments and issuing invoices for Jafal’s electrical work.

Jafal himself was fined $5000 for lodging 25 unauthorised electrical safety certificates through Building and Energy’s eNotice system. This paperwork related to solar installations he carried out for Jafal Brothers in several Perth suburbs as well as Mandurah and Bunbury.

Jafal lodged an additional 23 certificates falsely identifying Tanway Engineering (EC13223) as the contractor responsible for his work, even though Jafal was not employed by this business. Tanway Engineering was fined $12,500 and Tharakan, the company’s sole director, was fined $5,000 for allowing Jafal to lodge the improper certificates.