KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 7 — A hair salon owner who went viral on social media for charging a foreign tourist RM120 for a haircut was fined RM5,000 by the Sessions Court here today after she pleaded guilty to not displaying a price list.

Judge Norina Zainol Abidin imposed the fine on Nurul Jannah Abdullah, 52, ordering her to serve six months in prison if she fails to pay the fine.

The woman was charged under Order 3(1) of the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering (Price Marking for Goods and Charges for Services) Order 2020, which is punishable by a fine of up to RM50,000.

She committed the offence of failing to display the price list for hair styling services offered in her salon on Jalan Bukit Bintang here at 12.26pm on April 11.

Deputy public prosecutor Nurul’Ain Shafie from the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living (KPDN) requested a deterrent sentence to serve as a lesson to others.

"The customer was a foreign tourist who had questioned the price as it was too expensive and unreasonable, in addition to thinking the government does not control the prices for goods and services.

"The incident also affected the country’s tourism sector, and it even went viral on social media gaining the public’s attention,” she said.

Nurul Jannah, who was unrepresented, pleaded for a lesser sentence saying she has stage one cancer and was supporting her family. — Bernama