With Hari Raya approaching in a month’s time, some unscrupulous wholesalers and vendors are looking to pocket extra money for themselves by charging what is beyond permissible by the law.
A chicken wholesaler who tried to earn extra profit by selling the meat at a higher price found himself fined RM10,000 by the Kuala Kangsar Sessions Court after pleading guilty to the charge.
M’sian man fined RM10K for selling chicken above ceiling price
According to Sinar Harian, the accused, 54-year-old Sharuddin Saidon, was charged with selling standard chickens at RM8.90 per kilogram.
This was in violation of Paragraph 3 of the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering (Maximum Price Determination) Order 2022, where it stipulates that standard chicken should be sold at a maximum wholesale price of RM8.10 per kilogram.
Sharuddin was alleged to have committed the act at a premise at Jalan Besar, Padang Rengas between 6.30am and 7am on October 14, 2023.
The charge was framed under Section 11 of the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act 2011 and is punishable under Section 18 (b) of the same Act which provides for a fine not exceeding RM100,000 or imprisonment not exceeding three years or both.
Sharuddin, who was not represented by a lawyer, requested a minimum fine on the grounds of supporting his family and intending to pay bonuses to his five local workers.
However, Deputy Public Prosecutor of the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs (KPDN) Hasyutantee Khalil sought for the maximum fine, arguing that Sharuddin’s act of raising the price by RM0.80 would burden retailers and the public, adding that the case should act as a warning to other wholesalers.
Judge Rohaida Ishak fined Sharuddin RM10,000 in default of four months’ jail, which he was liable to should he fail to pay the fine.
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