A 64-year-old retiree holding Singapore Permanent Resident (PR) status was fined RM9,000 by the Kulai Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday for tampering with a car registration plate in an attempt to purchase RON95 subsidized petrol, which is only permitted for vehicles registered in Malaysia.
The accused, Long Sa Kow (transliteration), arrived at court around 7:50 am today (January 14), wearing a cap and a mask. He was charged with displaying a license plate that did not belong to his silver Germany-made car at a petrol station on Johor Bahru–Ayer Tawar Road 21¼ mile, in Kulai, Johor, at around 10:30 pm on January 2.
Residing in Singapore, the accused requested that the charges be read in English, stating that he was not familiar with Malay or Chinese. He then pleaded guilty before Magistrate R. Shalini.
During the reading of the case facts by the court interpreter, the accused interrupted several times to question the content, leading the magistrate to warn him twice against disrupting the proceedings. Afterwards, the accused stated he disagreed with the statement of facts, so the magistrate announced a 30-minute recess and explained the matter to the accused in English.
After the recess, the court was informed that the accused had deliberately covered part of the license plate’s letters in order to fake a locally-registered vehicle, with the aim of refueling with subsidized RON95 petrol meant exclusively for Malaysians. His act was recorded on video and circulated on social media, which led the police to investigate and discover that both the engine and chassis numbers were registered in Singapore.
This case was charged under Section 108(3)(e) of the Road Transport Act 1987, which upon conviction can result in a fine of RM5,000 to RM20,000, imprisonment for 1 to 5 years, or both.
Deputy Public Prosecutor S. Thivya urged the court to impose an appropriate sentence as a deterrent, emphasizing that the accused’s attempt to tamper with the license plate to access benefits reserved for locals and locally registered vehicles is severe.
She said: “This should serve as a warning to everyone, reminding the public not to tamper with license plates for personal gain.”
Lawyer Shamaine Firouz from the National Legal Aid Foundation, representing the accused, pleaded for leniency, stating that the accused is a retiree with no fixed income and has three children to support, requesting a lower fine.
Ultimately, the magistrate fined the accused RM9,000, with a default sentence of 9 months imprisonment if unable to pay. The accused subsequently paid the fine.