Kota Kinabalu: A hypermarket was fined RM9,000 by the Magistrate’s Court Tuesday on nine counts of selling 745 units of unapproved low voltage equipment directly to the public, five years ago.
Servay Hypermarket (Sabah) Sdn Bhd, represented by its representative, pleaded guilty before Magistrate Stephanie Sherron Abbie to selling various models and brands of low voltage equipment directly to the public without approval from the Energy Commission at Block K, Lot 1, Lorong Grand Plaza 3, Grand Plaza Putatan, at 10.15am on Oct 31, 2019.
Stephanie ordered the company to pay RM1,000 fine, or a warrant to levy would be issued against the company on each of the nine counts.
The company was found to have sold six units of rice cookers; 71 units of adapters and chargers; 101 units of cables; 139 units of plug top and plug; six units of switch cum dimmer; 63 units of portable socket outlet; 352 units of lamp holder; two units of electric kettle and five units of toaster cum oven.
Each count framed under Regulation 97(1)(b) of the Electricity Regulations 1994 provides a fine of up to RM5,000 or a jail term of up to one year or both, on conviction.
Earlier, the facts of the case presented by the prosecution, stated that a raid by officials from the Energy Commission (ST), SIRIM, and the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs (KPDNHEP) was carried out at Servay Putatan Supermarket on the said day to identify electrical equipment that failed to obtain an approval certificate from ST and/or, did not have the Sirim-ST label, or both.
The inspection found various models and brands of electrical equipment on the sale shelves with price tags attached, indicating that the equipment was sold to the public.
A total of 745 electrical equipment units were confiscated during the raid to be used as exhibits.
A check through the Energy Commission’s E-Equipment system found that the electrical equipment seized during the raid did not have a Certificate of Approval (CoA) from ST, said the prosecution.
During mitigation, the representative requested leniency, citing a lack of knowledge and the matter would not happen again.
ST prosecuting officer Norellysha Farhana Mohd Aris applied an adequate sentence.
