Kota Kinabalu: The Sessions Court here fined a company RM10,000 or six months’ jail for importing 2,079kg of frozen chicken meat without a valid import licence.
AP Mega Enterprise represented by its manager pleaded guilty before Judge Noor Hafizah Mohd Salim to importing 153 boxes of various types of frozen chicken pieces without an import licence from Sabah Veterinary Services Department (DVS), at 1pm, on Sept 23, 2023, at Quality Broadway Penampang.
The offence under Section 15(1) of the Animal Enactment 2015 provides a fine of up to RM50,000 or jail term of up to two years, or both, upon conviction.
Prosecuting officer Francis Palikat from the DVS informed the court that the DVS enforcement team inspected the Quality Broadway cold room and found the frozen product which belongs to AP Mega Enterprise was imported without a valid import license from the said Department.
The court heard that all the imported frozen chicken were disposed of in the Kayu Madang Sanitary Landfill, Tuaran on Oct 9, 2023 in accordance with the provisions under Section 62 (3) of the Animal Enactment.
The company representative, through a lawyer, requested leniency saying among others the amount involved was small.
Francis applied for an appropriate sentence.
He submitted, among others, that although the quantity was not that large, it still could bring negative impacts to the state, for example, the risk of diseases carried by the product to the poultry industry and the problem of antibiotic residues and food poisoning to the users of the product.
The representative paid the fine.
