ANN/THE STAR – A man was fined MYR20,000 on Tuesday by the Tawau Sessions Court for possessing large amounts of petrol without a valid license.
Abdullah Asadan, 26, admitted to having 70 jerrycans containing 2,080 litres of petrol without documentation.
Sessions Court Judge Ahmad Faizadh Yahaya issued the fine after Asadan’s guilty plea.
He was charged under Section 20(1) of the Control of Supplies Act 1961, which carries penalties under Section 22(1) of the same Act, and Section 34 of the Penal Code for criminal acts committed with common intent.
The prosecution was led by chief enforcement officer Dr Jong Jee Leong of the Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry in Semporna.
Jong said in a statement the man was previously arrested by the police at the Singgah Mata waters near Pulau Bum-Bum off Semporna.
The man was then handed over to the ministry for further investigations, he added. “During his arrest, the accused had the controlled item in a wooden boat and was suspected of attempting to transport the petrol to Sitangkai in the Philippines. “He did not have any licence or approval pertaining to the petrol in his possession,” he said.
