KUALA LUMPUR: Five Myanmar nationals and one local man faced charges at Selayang Court today for illegally possessing controlled cooking oil without a valid licence.
The accused individuals are Wong Shu Chi and Myanmar nationals Aye Min Thu, Aung Ko Ko, Htet Aung, Htet Naung, and Than Soe Aung.
Wong pleaded not guilty to the charges while no plea was recorded for the five foreign nationals after the charges were read before Judge Norazlin Othman.
All six defendants were jointly charged with possessing 11,883 kilograms of scheduled controlled goods, specifically cooking oil, under suspicious circumstances.
The alleged offence occurred at a premises in the Nautical Industrial Park, Rawang, at 11.30 am on August 20.
They were charged under Regulation 3(1) of the Control of Supplies Regulations 1974 and Section 21 of the Control of Supplies Act 1961.
The offence carries a maximum penalty of RM1 million fine, or up to three years imprisonment, or both upon conviction.
Subsequent offences would result in a maximum fine of RM3 million, or imprisonment of up to five years, or both if found guilty.
The court granted Wong bail of RM10,000 and set September 23 for case mention and interpreter appointment for the foreign accused.
Deputy public prosecutor Mohd Hafizi Abdul Halim from the Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry handled the prosecution.
Wong was represented by defence counsel Mohd Amin Arsan during the court proceedings. – Bernama