A seafood wholesale company and three of its directors were charged at the Sessions Court here today over 160 counts of allegedly purchasing subsidised fishing diesel without a wholesale licence, involving 946,234 litres worth more than RM1.5 million in 2024.
In a broader context, enforcement against misuse of subsidised fuel continues to be a key focus for authorities as the government intensifies efforts to curb leakage of controlled goods.
Atong Fishing Sdn Bhd, represented by its three directors — Cheng Chor Tong, 73, and his sons Cheng Thee Yong, 49, and Cheng Thee How, 46 — all pleaded not guilty after the charges were read before Judge Sazlina Safie.
The company and the three individuals each face 40 separate charges involving the purchase of controlled goods, namely diesel, without a wholesale licence, with transaction values ranging between RM17,620.35 and RM72,540.60.
The offences were allegedly committed at the Kuala Rompin Fisheries Association, Rompin, between Jan 15 and Oct 17, 2024.
The charges were framed under Subregulation 3(1) of the Control of Supplies Regulations 1974, punishable under Section 22(2) of the Control of Supplies Act 1961, which provides for fines of up to RM2 million for a first offence and up to RM5 million for subsequent offences.
During proceedings, the prosecution sought higher bail, citing public interest due to the seriousness of subsidised diesel leakage issues.
However, the defence requested that the court maintain previous bail conditions, stating that the earlier case involving the same accused was closely related.
The court allowed bail of RM45,000 for each accused and fixed Aug 20 for mention of the case.
