JOHOR BARU, March 21 — A 59-year-old petrol station owner was fined RM40,000 at the Sessions Court here for allowing a foreign-registered vehicle to fill up with RON95 grade petrol in 2019.

Phan Chib Chan pleaded guilty after the charges were read out to him before Judge Datuk Che Wan Zaidi Wan Ibrahim.

The accused made the confession in Mandarin with the assistance of an interpreter.

According to the facts of the case, Phan had allowed the foreign-registered vehicle to fill 54 liters of RON95 grade petrol worth RM113.30 at a petrol station along Jalan Tun Abdul Razak, Susur 4 at 10.40am on May 13, 2019.

Phan was found to have failed to comply with Regulation 12A of the Control of Supplies Regulations 1974.

The offence is under Section 22(1) of the Control of Supplies Act 1961, which carries a maximum RM1mil fine or three years in jail.

The case was prosecuted by the Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry, led by Deputy Public Prosecutors Muhamad Sabiq Muhamad Subri and Raja Nor Ikhlas Raja Ariff, while Phan ws represented by Lim Chon Sim.

Phan’s prosecution is the first in the country following the law prohibiting the filling of RON95 grade petrol to foreign-registered vehicles.

He later paid the fine.