Petrol Station Owner Fined For Letting Foreign-Registered Vehicle To Pump RON95

A petrol station owner was fined RM40,000 in the Sessions Court here for allowing a foreign-registered vehicle to fill up with RON95 gasoline four years ago. On Tuesday (March 21), Phan Chib Chan, 59, pleaded guilty after the charges were read aloud in Mandarin in front of Judge Che Wan Zaidi Che Wan Ibrahim. According to the charge sheet, Phan violated the prohibition on selling RON95 gasoline to foreign-registered vehicles. The crime was committed on May 13, 2019 at 10.40 a.m. on Jalan Tun Abdul Razak Susur 4 in this city. Phan had allowed a Singapore-registered vehicle to fill up 54 litres of RON95 gasoline worth RM113.30, which is a violation of Control of Supplies Regulations 1974 Regulation 12A.

The offense is punishable by a RM1 million fine or three years in prison under Section 22(1) of the Control of Supplies Act 1961.

The Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry prosecuted the case, led by Deputy Public Prosecutors Muhamad Sabiq Muhamad Subri and Raja Nor Ikhlas Raja Ariff, while Phan was represented by Lim Chon Sim.

Muhamad Sabiq also informed the court during the prosecution that Phan had previously received a compound notice for the same offence in 2014 and 2017. Previously, Che Wan Zaidi stated in his judgment that the offence has been frequently reported occurring along the country's borders and that the RM40,000 fine is intended to serve as a lesson to him and other petrol station owners.

Meanwhile, Lilis Saslinda Pornomo, director of Johor Domestic Trade and Cost of Living, told the media that the department is currently investigating another 22 cases of RON95 sales to foreign vehicles. "We are currently preparing the investigation papers because this is a very serious offence that has resulted in a significant loss to the country," she told reporters in the court lobby. She also stated that from January to March 20 of this year, six petrol station owners were issued total compound notices worth RM10,000 for the same offense.