Cook Pleads Not Guilty to Possessing Over 14.5 Tonnes of Cooking Oil Without Licence
PETALING JAYA: A cook was charged in the Sessions Court here today with possessing more than 14.5 tonnes of cooking oil without a valid licence, but pleaded not guilty and claimed trial.
The accused, Ng Jen Choon, 49, entered the plea after the charge was read before Sessions Court judge Dr Syahliza Warnoh.
According to the charge sheet, Jen Choon and three other individuals were alleged to have possessed 14,534 kilogrammes of scheduled goods, namely cooking oil, without the required licence at a premises in Taman Sri Serdang Phase 4, Seri Kembangan.
The offence was allegedly committed at about 1pm on June 11.
The charge was framed under Regulation 21(1) of the Control of Supplies Regulations 1974, read together with Section 21 of the Control of Supplies Act 1961 and Section 34 of the Penal Code, which deals with offences committed with common intention.
If convicted, the accused could face penalties under Section 22(1) of the regulations, which carries a fine of up to RM1 million, imprisonment for up to three years, or both.
For repeat offenders, the punishment may be increased to a maximum fine of RM3 million, imprisonment of up to five years, or both.
However, proceedings against the three other individuals linked to the case could not be carried out today due to the absence of a Myanmar interpreter.
As a result, the charges against them were not read out and the court fixed another date for the matter.
Following submissions from both the prosecution and defence, Judge Dr Syahliza allowed Jen Choon bail of RM8,000 with one surety.
The court also imposed several additional conditions on the accused.
Among them, he is required to report to the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living (KPDN) office in Putrajaya every month until the disposal of the case.
The court further ordered him to surrender his passport to prevent him from leaving the country while the trial is ongoing.
He was also instructed not to interfere with any witnesses who may be called to testify during the proceedings.
The court fixed July 13 for mention to allow the prosecution to hand over relevant documents and for the charges against the remaining three accused to be formally read.
The case is expected to draw public attention due to the large quantity of cooking oil allegedly involved and the broader issue of supply control and enforcement of regulations governing essential goods.
Authorities have in recent years intensified enforcement efforts against illegal storage, hoarding and misappropriation of controlled items such as cooking oil, sugar and flour to ensure stable supplies and curb market manipulation.
