Woman fined RM10,000 for retaining 750 litres of petrol
KOTA KINABALU: A 40-yearold woman was fined RM10,000, in default, three months in jail for retaining 750 liters of petrol.
Sessions Court judge Ainul Shahrin Mohamed imposed the fine on Sitti Sisa Magsaysay after the latter admitted to committing the offence in a vessel at Jeti Angkasa Baru, Kudat, on August 29, 2012.
The offence under Section 20 (1) of the Control of Supplies Act 1961 carries a maximum fine of RM100,000 or a jail term of up to three years or both, upon conviction.
In mitigation, Sitti, who was unrepresented, said her husband works as a fisherman and earns RM800 per month.
She also said her husband’s vessel was confiscated five years ago and she took loans from Amanah Ikhtiar and Tekun for financial support.
Thus, she sought a lenient sentence as she has seven children to support.
However, prosecuting officer Nur Muharima Ijmaen from the Ministry of Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism (KPDNKK), requested for a deterrent sentence to serve as a lesson for the accused and the would-be offenders.
Based on the facts of the case, KPDNKK enforcement found the petrol inside a vessel which was kept in 30 units of jerrycan.
Sitti had stored the controlled goods without permission from the supplier’s controller.
Further investigation revealed that the vessel belonged to Sitti’s father who authorized her to manage the vessel.