IPOH, Sept 2 — The director of mini-market was fined RM5,000 by the Sessions Court in Ipoh today after pleading guilty to selling bottled cooking oil above the set price last year.
Judge Ainul Shahrin Mohamad sentenced J. Shanker, 43, and ordered him to serve five days in jail if he fails to pay the fine.
The court also ordered that RM485.85, the proceeds from the related sales, be forfeited and handed over to the Malaysian government.
According to the charge, Shanker, as the director of Mini Market Desa Rishah Sdn Bhd, was found selling or offering for sale a controlled-price item, specifically two-kilogramme bottles of Seri Murni cooking oil, at a price other than that determined under Section 4, 5, or 7 of the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act 2011.
The offence was committed at Mini Market Desa Rishah Sdn Bhd, No. 1 & 3 Jalan Klebang Ria 3, Taman Klebang Ria, Chemor, at 12:30 pm on April 17, 2024.
The charge was filed under Section 11 of the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act 2011 and is punishable under Section 18(b) of the same act. If convicted, the offence carries a maximum fine of RM100,000 or a jail term not exceeding three years, or both. For a second or subsequent offence, the penalty is a maximum fine of RM250,000 or a jail term not exceeding five years, or both.
The prosecuting officer for the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living (KPDN), N. Shamani, requested an appropriate sentence.
However, the accused’s lawyer, Ahmad Shamil Azad Abdul Halim, requested a fine of RM5,000 on the grounds that there was a pricing error on that day, as the oil was priced at RM13.90, and only one bottle of oil was sold. Meanwhile, 46 bottles of oil were seized from the stock. — Bernama
