A 64-year-old man was fined RM9,000 by the Kulai Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday after pleading guilty to displaying a car registration number that did not belong to his vehicle.
Long Sa Kow, a Singapore permanent resident, admitted the offence when the charge was read in English before Magistrate R. Salini.
He was accused of driving a Volkswagen Jetta and showing a registration number that did not belong to the car. The incident occurred at a petrol station along Jalan Johor Bahru–Air Hitam, Batu 21/4, Kulai, around 10:30 pm on January 2.
The offence was charged under Section 108(3)(e) of the Road Transport Act 1987, which carries a fine of RM5,000 to RM20,000 or imprisonment of one to five years upon conviction.
Sa Kow was represented by Sharmaine Fairuz Mohd Zulkifli from the Legal Aid Foundation, who requested the court impose the minimum fine, noting that he is a retiree without a fixed income and supports a wife and three children, two of whom are still in school.
Deputy Public Prosecutor S. Thiviya urged the court to impose a preventive and deterrent sentence, highlighting that the act involved altering a registration plate to gain access to subsidised RON95 fuel intended for Malaysian motorists.
Investigations revealed that on January 4, the Kulai District Police Traffic Enforcement Division detected a Facebook video showing a silver Volkswagen Jetta with registration number LJ 8967 filling RON95 fuel. The vehicle was registered as SLJ 8967 M, but Sa Kow had covered the letters “S” and “M” to make it appear like a local car.
The case had gained attention on social media after a one-and-a-half-minute video went viral on January 3, showing a Singapore-registered vehicle allegedly using this method to fill subsidised petrol.
