Muhammad Faisal Hamzah, the son of opposition leader Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin, was charged in the Sessions Court here on Wednesday (April 5) with nine counts of violations in relation to the cooking oil subsidy.
Faisal, 39, was charged along with Azizul Abdul Halim, 55, both being directors of Rimba Merpati Sdn Bhd, a wholesale cooking oil licence holder, with allegedly providing false information by producing fake invoices on the purported sale of the oil to two local retail companies.
This purportedly violated Section 8(4) of the Control of Supplies Act 1961. Cooking oil is a controlled item under the Act. The invoices were deemed fake following a raid conducted on the company's premises last Aug 11 and 12.The invoices were addressed to Warisan Hasil Alam, and Pasar Segar Din Maju.
The duo were also jointly charged by Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living enforcement officers with possession of more than the limited amount of 50 metric tons of cooking oil on the Rimba Merpati premises in Sinar Andalas, Senawang. The said offence is a violation of Regulation 9(1) of the Control of Supplies Regulations 1974, which is punishable under Section 22(2) of the Control of Supplies Act.
The charges in question were separately made against Rimba Merpati, with Faisal and Azizul jointly charged as two directors of the company, as well as individually as a director with the offences. They claimed trial to the charges read to them for themselves and the company.
Should the company be found guilty of the said offences, it is liable to a maximum fine of RM2 million for the first offence, or a RM5 million fine for the second or subsequent offences, for the fake invoices and possession of more than the limited amount of 50 metric tons of cooking oil.
Separately, the duo as joint directors of the company and separately as an individual company director are liable to a fine of RM1 million or a maximum three years in jail for each charge for the first offence, or a RM3 million fine or five years in jail for subsequent offences, over the fake declarations and possession of more than the limited amount of 50 metric tons of cooking oil.
Deputy public prosecutor Mohd Sophian Zakaria, who appeared with DPP Syazwani Zawawi, asked the court to set bail at RM20,000 for each charge, as he pointed out that cooking oil is a controlled item, and that this is a case of public interest.
“The government of today has brought emphasis to items listed as controlled items, as the shortage of cooking oil at that time resulted in the country facing a crisis. “Furthermore, a high bail amount should be set to secure attendance, regardless of whether the company is dissolved or undergoes a change of ownership. The volume involved was also quite big,” Sophian added.
Lawyer Queratu Aini Zafieah Mat Shoib, who represented the duo, asked for a reduction in the bail amount, as the court should not consider the amount of charges in imposing the high bail amount. Furthermore, she said, Azizul is now unemployed and resides in Kuantan, while Faisal is in Bukit Antarabangsa and has three children, and is expecting a fourth child.
She added that the bail amount is only for securing attendance, and brought to the court’s attention that the said company is under new management. After a short recess, Sessions Court judge Mazni Nawi fixed bail at RM25,000 each for Azizul and Faisal, and an additional RM30,000 for Rimba Merpati, which is also to be paid by the duo. Mazni fixed June 9 for mention.
Hamzah was formerly the home minister during the Perikatan Nasional administration, and was the domestic trade and consumer affairs minister during the Barisan Nasional government prior to that from July 2015 to May 2018. It is understood that Faisal is Hamzah’s son from his first marriage.- Surin Murugiah,the Edge
Subsidised cooking oil comes in plastic packs of 1 kg each and are sold at RM2.50 per pack. Therefore 5 kg of subsidised oil is sold at RM12.50. A non subsidised 5 kg plastic bottle of oil is sold at around RM30 give or take the brand. That is a whopping RM17.50 extra.So these fellas claim they are selling at RM2.50 when they are repacking and selling at RM6.00. Easy money. - Qua Vadis Malaysia
Ini lah di panggil Ali Baba Business,... tak payah buat kerja, untung atas angin.. sesama dengan dapat AP impot kereta mewah, dll... bertuah lah jadi Bumiputra! Tetapi bukan semua Bumiputra. - Sherlock
Now you know why PN leaders are so desperate to topple the govt to control Putrajaya.
Tons of "sampah rasuah" are in the old cabinet. - Krabian
If the Govt had not changed -- will there be charges ?This Hamzah ' budak kita ' was the Home minister who said '' people die anyway ' when questioned about deaths in Immigration detention centre's.MACC must now investigate if "" strings were pulled in this case "" to obtain that much subsidized cooking oil. - Eaglebaby05
Raid was during Hamzah"s tenure as Home minister. Why does it take so long for him to be charged? - Me
Wait and see for MACC! Biasa lah Abang! MACC will follow the Government of the day. If tomorrow any change of Government like going back to PN, MACC will go after Anwar and his comrades. - PurpleKijang9104
Granting Najib a royal pardon is not justice...
Granting the convicted felon, Najib Abdul Razak, a royal pardon will open the flood gates to anger, and lead Malaysia down a path that will change the dynamics of the country. How do you think the rakyat will react? With a royal pardon, comparisons will be made. A desperate, unemployed father who was forced to steal to feed his children is jailed for three years. Najib who stole billions of ringgits has barely completed six months of his incarceration, and yet is allowed to roam free. Where is the justice?
Najib may be left smiling at his good fortune (of being released), but think how badly this will reflect on those who granted him the pardon? The public will be wondering if the nation is in safe and capable hands. Think how badly this will reflect on the prison population who probably stole less than Najib but received stiffer punishments.The only difference is that they are not rich enough to afford a retinue of lawyers for the appeal process or find alternative solutions to be freed. Think what it will do to the morale of the country.
We are already suffering the ill effects of the pandemic and global economic downturn, but Najib’s corruption will have crippled at least one or two generations of Malaysians forced to bear the brunt of Najib’s theft.The money he stole could have been used to fund much needed public services like upgrading of schools, hospitals, infrastructure, or provide improved pay and work conditions to medical and teaching professions.
Just reflect on what foreign investors will think and do.Industrialists will invest in a country with a stable political foundation, not one that is corrupt and lawless. It is not just investors that we need to attract, but also tourist dollars. A country that is tarnished because we are lenient with kelptocrats and corrupt leaders, does not augur well for our international image.
Malaysia has always had an impressive reputation overseas, but Najib spoiled that. If he were granted a royal pardon, we will be made a laughing stock. Think of its effects on our judiciary. Some Malaysians will wonder if justice is the privilege of the wealthy. Money can buy the super rich an endless round of lawyers willing to fight for them. Perhaps a few will think that the judiciary is biased because the wealthy are given opportunity after opportunity of trying to find a legal loophole for release.
Think of the reputation of the legal fraternity. Will their reputation sink like a lead balloon? Are they giving Najib sound advice or are they stringing him along and wasting Najib’s money and giving him false hope? At the same time, taxpayers’ resources, money and manpower are unnecessarily wasted. Each time there is a hearing, think of the time and money spent on the court officials, security details, reporters and policemen.
What is there to like about Najib? He brought shame to the nation and his family. He was given the responsibility of taking care of the nation, but he betrayed Malaysians by stealing from them. He lied to the rakyat and sacked his critics. He lied to us and worse still was that members of his cabinet lied on his behalf, so much so that we lost trust in democracy and the institutions of state.
In 2017, Jeff Sessions, the then U.S. attorney-general described the 1MDB multi-billion dollar corruption scandal as the worst form of kleptocracy, and he said the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) would work towards providing justice to the victims.
Najib’s lengthy trial had been dogged by delays, and he was given ample opportunity to go through both the appeal and review processes. He and his lawyers had tested the patience of the judiciary and general public, and despite his conviction being upheld, Najib is today still keen on pursuing a royal pardon. Why? He is keeping to his selfish agenda!
Why put the country through yet another round of having to listen to him? His fingerprints were all over the place, and all the paper trails led to him. The facts are that he stole, he was arrested, charged, and sentenced by three courts — High Court, Federal Court and Court of Appeal — and nine judges.
Last week, Najib’s review application in the RM42 million SRC International corruption case failed to quash his guilty verdict. The Federal Court bench, in a majority 4-1 verdict, rejected his review application. Najib’s reason for demanding a royal pardon is based on the sole dissenting rule by Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak, Abdul Rahman Sebli.
Who does Najib think he is? The narcissist has failed to express remorse for his actions. He never apologized for putting the nation through so much suffering! Najib was found guilty by 13 judges and is clutching at straws if he thinks that he can demand a royal pardon just because of one dissenting judge.
However, many people will question the royal pardon. Criminals who have committed less serious crimes are not given such privileges. Granting Najib a royal pardon, will have serious consequences on the nation. - Mariam Mokhtar
Kerajaan akan dedah hasil siasatan
nahas udara 1976 korbankan KM Sabah
cheers.
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