JOHOR BARU, Feb 22 — A company supplying frozen food was fined RM1.5 million by the Sessions Court after pleading guilty to seven charges of using, owning and offering fake halal logo after a meat cartel scandal was exposed in December 2020.

Judge Fatimah Zahari imposed the fine on LY Frozen Food Sdn Bhd which was represented by its director Yong Chee Keong, 42, who pleaded guilty to the charges.

The court also fined Yong RM100,000 or six months jail for pleading guilty to the same seven charges while another director, Tan Siew Huak, 44, (still at large) was discharged not amounting to an acquittal for the seven charges.

Meanwhile, seven charges against LY Frozen Food Sdn Bhd store manager Chong Kim Kuang, 50, were dropped since he was only a worker in the company.

They were charged with offering products for sale using the labels of GBP Australia Pty Ltd and Ararat Meat Exports Pty Ltd with the Australian Halal logo to indicate that the food was safe for Muslims, in a manner contrary to Paragraph 4(1) of the Trade Description (Certification and Marking of Halal) Order 2011.

The offences were allegedly committed at 663 Jalan Idaman 3/4, Taman Perindustrian Desa Idaman, Senai on Dec 1, 2020, at about 3.30pm.

All the accused were charged under Section 5(1)(a) and Section 5(1)(c) of the Trade Descriptions Act, as well as the Trade Descriptions (Certification and Halal Marking) Order.

According to the case, all the accused were charged with using fake trade descriptions on labels of GBP Australia Pty Ltd and Arafat Meat Exports Pty Ltd with regard to the halal logo of Islamic Co-ordinating Council of Victoria and Perth Mosque Incorporated from Australia on 3,418 boxes containing frozen food without their approval.

The prosecution was led by Deputy Public Prosecutors Mohd Sophian Zakaria, Kwan Li Sa, Syazwani Zawawi, Mas Syafiqah Maarob and Kee Shu Min from the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living (KPDN) while all the accused were represented by Zamri Idrus.

On December 2, 2020, the media reported that the activities of a cartel involved in smuggling meat from Ukraine, Brazil, Argentina and China and repackaging it with fake halal logos and marketed throughout Malaysia, was busted by local authorities.

Their activities came to light during an integrated raid at a warehouse in Senai where RM6.47 million of products with fake halal logo was seized. — Bernama