The one-minute, 30-second video showed the man pumping subsidized petrol into a Volkswagen Jetta bearing a Singapore registration number, but with the initial letter “S” and the final letter “M” covered with black tape.
The person recording the video alleged that this could be a tactic used by Singaporeans to disguise their vehicles as locally registered and approached the man.
When questioned, the man asserted that he and others in the car were locals and not Singaporean citizens before quickly leaving the scene, according to the New Straits Times.
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A screenshot from the viral video. Photo from Threads |
RON95 petrol in Malaysia is subsidized by the government as part of efforts to keep fuel prices affordable for lower-income groups and is available only to vehicles registered in the country.
Foreign-registered vehicles are prohibited from buying RON95, which currently sells for RM2.05 (S$0.65) per liter, and must instead use RON97.
Johor sits across the border from Singapore and is linked to the city-state by the Johor-Singapore Causeway, which sees hundred of thousands of travelers daily, including Malaysians commuting to work and Singaporeans looking for cheaper goods and services.
The video quickly prompted a probe by the Johor Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry, which determined that the incident occurred at around 10:30 p.m. last Friday at a petrol station in Kulai.
“The RON95 petrol was purchased using a cashless method at one of the pumps,” said the ministry’s director Lilis Saslinda Pornomo in a Saturday statement cited by national news agency Bernama.
She added that no identity verification was conducted at the counter and that refueling was halted before the full amount purchased was pumped.
The man was later identified as a Singapore permanent resident who is currently in the city-state, Malaysian newspaper The Star then reported on Monday, quoting Kulai district police chief Assistant Commissioner Tan Seng Lee.
He has been instructed to report immediately to the traffic division at the district police headquarters.
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Motorists pump gas at a station in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, July 1, 2010. Photo by Reuters |
Lilis Saslinda has said that action would be taken against the petrol station operator for allegedly allowing a foreign-registered vehicle to purchase subsidized fuel.
She said individuals found guilty could face a fine of up to RM1 million, a jail term of up to three years, or both, while companies could be fined as much as RM2 million, with penalties rising to RM5 million for second and subsequent offenses.
There is currently no legal provision to penalize owners of foreign-registered vehicles for using subsidized RON95. However, the case is also being investigated for the alleged use of an altered or tampered license plate on a motor vehicle, as reported by World of Buzz.
If convicted on that charge, offenders could be fined RM5,000-20,000, jailed for one to five years, or both.
Tan said summons action would be taken against the vehicle owner if the registration number is found not to comply with regulations.
