Licences for fuel wholesale at private jetties revoked

PUTRAJAYA: Licences for bunkering and wholesale of petrol and diesel at private jetties have been cancelled with immediate effect, Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Minister Datuk Seri Hasan Malek announced here yesterday.

He said the ministry hoped the decision would help curb abuse of subsidised petrol and diesel, particularly at private jetties.

Besides this, he said the ministry would also suspend the licence of any petrol station operator found to be involved in abusing sale of subsidised fuels.

“The oil companies will temporarily take over the operations of stations whose licences are suspended until investigations are completed so that supplies are not affected in the areas serviced by the stations,” he told reporters after meeting

The oil companies will temporarily take over the operations of stations whose licences are suspended until investigations are completed so that supplies are not affected in the areas serviced by the stations. Datuk Seri Hasan Malek, Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Minister

representatives of government agencies and oil majors on the issue of misuse of subsidised petroleum fuels, here yesterday.

Yesterday, the ministry’s secretary- general Datuk Seri Alias Ahmad had announced a six-month freeze on applications for licences for wholesale of diesel and petrol and opening new petrol stations from today until December.

Hasan also said the ministry will amend the Control of Supplies Act 1961 to impose heavier punishment on those caught abusing the facility ( provision of fuels at subsidised cost).

“We are of the view that a penalty of RM100,000 for the first offence is too light.

“Apart from this, the question of seizures, freezing of accounts will be among the things that will be addressed through the amendments.

“I have instructed the related parties including the Attorney-General’s Chambers to review the existing act so that the new measures can be included,” he said.

On Ops Titik (the special operation to ferret out those abusing the facility to make profit by selling at a higher price to industrial users or smuggling to neighbouring countries where the cost is more), Hasan said since it was launched on May 15, it had succeeded in tackling the problem of petrol stations running out of stock.

Till June 8, he said 124 cases were uncovered involving RM5.39 million worth of subsidised fuels. Meanwhile, a representative of one of the oil companies when met after the meeting, said his company would comply with decisions made by the government on the matter.

“We will abide by it and this can be controlled and is doable,” he said. — Bernama