KUALA LUMPUR – Muhammad Faisal Hamzah, the son of opposition leader Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainuddin, has pleaded not guilty to charges of violating laws relating to the cooking oil subsidy.
Faisal, 39, was charged before judge Mazni Nawi at the Seremban sessions court alongside Azizul Abdul Halim, 55. Both are directors of Rimba Merpati Sdn Bhd, a wholesale cooking oil licence holder.
The duo are accused of allegedly providing false information by providing fraudulent invoices on the supposed sale of the oil to a local retail company, according to The Edge.
The invoices, which were found to be fake following a raid conducted on the company’s premises in August last year, are in violation of Section 8(4) of the Control of Supplies Act 1961.
Both men were also jointly charged by domestic trade and cost of living enforcement officers with ownership of more than the controlled amount of 50 metric tons of cooking oil on company premises in Senawang.
The charge is punishable under Section 22(2) of the act and is also a violation of Regulation 9(1) of the Control of Supplies Regulation 1974.
Hamzah, who is also Bersatu secretary-general, was previously the home minister under the Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri-led administration.
He was also the domestic trade and consumer affairs minister under Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s government. – The Vibes, April 5, 2023
