(Johor Bahru / Kuala Lumpur, 12th) — A Singaporean man was caught red-handed by enforcement officers while refueling his Singapore-registered vehicle with the controlled RON95 petrol at a petrol station in Johor Bahru, Johor. Both the man and his vehicle were detained.
This is the first time someone has been caught in Johor for such an offense since Malaysia strengthened controls from April 1, strictly prohibiting foreign-registered vehicles from purchasing government-subsidized RON95 petrol.
The incident occurred around 10 pm on Thursday (April 9) at a petrol station in downtown Johor Bahru. At the time, enforcement officers from the Johor Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Department were patrolling when they saw a Singapore-registered vehicle with a fuel nozzle inserted, refueling with RON95 petrol.
The officers immediately intervened, reviewed the CCTV footage from the petrol station, checked the receipts, and took statements from the staff, confirming that the vehicle had indeed purchased controlled RON95 petrol.
Johor Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Department Director Lilis Shazlinda said in a media statement on Friday (April 10) that the vehicle owner is a 50-year-old Singaporean man, who was detained on the spot. "Enforcement officers also seized the vehicle, obtained a backup of the CCTV footage from the petrol station, a copy of the refueling receipt, and relevant documents for further investigation."
Anyone found guilty of illegally purchasing subsidized petrol may be fined up to RM1 million, imprisoned for up to three years, or both. Repeat offenders may be fined up to RM3 million and face up to five years imprisonment, or both. If a company is involved, the maximum fine is RM2 million, increasing to RM5 million for repeat offenses.
Malaysia’s Minister of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living, Armizan, told reporters on Saturday (April 11) that to counter the global energy crisis spurred by conflicts in the Middle East, the Cabinet, in a routine meeting on Wednesday (April 8), decided to deploy police at around 160 petrol stations in border and high-risk areas to combat fuel smuggling.
Since August 2010, Malaysia has banned petrol stations from selling RON95 petrol and diesel to foreign-registered vehicles to ensure that fuel subsidies benefit only its citizens. Foreign vehicles can only purchase unsubsidized RON97 and higher-grade petrol.
However, previous enforcement only targeted petrol station operators. So, in January this year, a Malaysian citizen with Singapore permanent residency was charged in Kulai, Johor, for covering his Singapore license plate and refueling with subsidized RON95. But the charge was for displaying a license plate inconsistent with the vehicle, not for illegally purchasing subsidized petrol. He was eventually fined RM9,000.
To better ensure that subsidized petrol benefits only citizens, the Malaysian government established new regulations at the end of January this year. Besides petrol station operators, owners and drivers of foreign-registered vehicles purchasing subsidized petrol will also be penalized, even if the foreign-registered vehicle is driven by a Malaysian citizen. Since the new regulation took effect this month, Malaysian authorities have regularly sent enforcement officers to patrol petrol stations.
The incident occurred around 10 pm on Thursday (April 9) at a petrol station in downtown Johor Bahru. At the time, enforcement officers from the Johor Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Department were patrolling when they saw a Singapore-registered vehicle with a fuel nozzle inserted, refueling with RON95 petrol.
The officers immediately intervened, reviewed the CCTV footage from the petrol station, checked the receipts, and took statements from the staff, confirming that the vehicle had indeed purchased controlled RON95 petrol.
Johor Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Department Director Lilis Shazlinda said in a media statement on Friday (April 10) that the vehicle owner is a 50-year-old Singaporean man, who was detained on the spot. "Enforcement officers also seized the vehicle, obtained a backup of the CCTV footage from the petrol station, a copy of the refueling receipt, and relevant documents for further investigation."
Anyone found guilty of illegally purchasing subsidized petrol may be fined up to RM1 million, imprisoned for up to three years, or both. Repeat offenders may be fined up to RM3 million and face up to five years imprisonment, or both. If a company is involved, the maximum fine is RM2 million, increasing to RM5 million for repeat offenses.
Malaysia’s Minister of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living, Armizan, told reporters on Saturday (April 11) that to counter the global energy crisis spurred by conflicts in the Middle East, the Cabinet, in a routine meeting on Wednesday (April 8), decided to deploy police at around 160 petrol stations in border and high-risk areas to combat fuel smuggling.
Since August 2010, Malaysia has banned petrol stations from selling RON95 petrol and diesel to foreign-registered vehicles to ensure that fuel subsidies benefit only its citizens. Foreign vehicles can only purchase unsubsidized RON97 and higher-grade petrol.
However, previous enforcement only targeted petrol station operators. So, in January this year, a Malaysian citizen with Singapore permanent residency was charged in Kulai, Johor, for covering his Singapore license plate and refueling with subsidized RON95. But the charge was for displaying a license plate inconsistent with the vehicle, not for illegally purchasing subsidized petrol. He was eventually fined RM9,000.
To better ensure that subsidized petrol benefits only citizens, the Malaysian government established new regulations at the end of January this year. Besides petrol station operators, owners and drivers of foreign-registered vehicles purchasing subsidized petrol will also be penalized, even if the foreign-registered vehicle is driven by a Malaysian citizen. Since the new regulation took effect this month, Malaysian authorities have regularly sent enforcement officers to patrol petrol stations.