Woman fined RM8,000 over unregistered health products, cosmetics

KOTA KINABALU: A woman was fined a total of RM8,000, in default eight months’ jail for possessing unregistered health products and cosmetics without labels.

Sessions Court Judge Azreena Aziz passed the sentence on Chin Tze Yin, 28, after the latter pleaded guilty to two charges under the Regulations 7(1)(a) of Cosmetic and Drug Control Regulations 1984.

The indictment carries a maximum fine of RM25,000 or a jail term of up to three years, or both, upon conviction.

On the first charge, Chin was fined RM5,000, in default, five months’ jail for possessing 30 types of unregistered health products.

On the second count, she received another RM3,000 fine, in default three months’ jail for possessing 15 types of cosmetics without labels.

The offences were committed at Snow B at Centre Point Sabah here at 11.50am on August 15, 2017.

Chin, who was not represented, requested to pay the fine in instalments and the court allowed her to pay the fines in four instalments.

The court ordered for the first payment of RM2,000 to be paid yesterday while the rest to be paid on or before June 3, July 16 and August 13 with the same amount of RM2,000 for each payment.

In mitigation, Chin told the court that it was her first offence and admitted her fault.

She promised not to repeat a similar offence and prayed for a lenient sentence.

Prosecuting officer from the Pharmacy Department replied that a deterrent sentence would serve as a lesson to the accused and to would-be offenders and therefore requested the court to impose a deterrent sentence against the accused.

The health products and cosmetics were seized by the Pharmacy Enforcement Division during a raid at the premises.