PETALING JAYA: Shake and Bake Cafe Sdn Bhd and its managing director, Ewe Sarn Yuen, have been separately charged with misusing the halal logo on sandwiches supplied to convenience store KK Mart.
Ewe, who is also the Gopeng MCA chief, claimed trial to six charges after they were read before two Petaling Jaya sessions court judges, according to Berita Harian.
The charges against Ewe were made under Section 4(1) of the Trade Descriptions Order (Halal Definition) 2011, which concerns supplying products that are likely to mislead people into believing they are halal.
The sandwiches involved in the charges included 50 mixed tuna sandwiches, 43 mixed potato sandwiches, 77 mixed chicken sandwiches, 74 egg mayo sandwiches, 66 ham and cheese sandwiches, and 56 chilli crab stick sandwiches.
Ewe, aged 65, was charged with committing the offences at Shake and Bake’s premises in Sunway Damansara on January 10.
He faces a maximum RM100,000 fine, up to three years in jail, or both, if convicted as a first offender. Repeat offenders face a maximum RM250,000 fine, up to five years’ imprisonment, or both.
Shake and Bake, represented by Ewe, also pleaded not guilty to six separate charges of the same offence, committed at the same location and on the same date. The company could face a maximum RM200,000 fine if convicted as a first offender, with fines of up to RM500,000 for subsequent offences.
Both Ewe and Shake and Bake were also jointly charged with falsely applying a registered trademark to goods or services under Section 100 of the Trademarks Act 2019. They both pleaded not guilty to this charge as well, the Malay daily reported.
The company could face a maximum RM15,000 fine for each product falsely stamped with the halal logo, with fines of up to RM30,000 for second and subsequent offences.
Ewe faces a maximum RM10,000 fine for every product falsely stamped, up to three years in jail, or both, upon conviction. Repeat offenders could face a fine of up to RM20,000 for each product and a maximum five-year prison term, or both.
Deputy public prosecutors Shafiq Mahadi and Hakiim Izani proposed that bail be set at RM60,000 for each charge, citing public interest in the case. They also requested that Ewe surrender his passport.
Lawyer Hamdan Hamzah, representing Ewe, requested that bail be set at RM120,000 for all charges, stating that his client had cooperated with authorities throughout the investigation.
The court allowed Ewe to post bail at RM130,000 for all charges and ordered him to surrender his passport.
The next case mention has been set for March 5.
