Three companies were charged with profiteering from the sale of A grade chicken eggs. — Picture by Ahmad Zamzahuri

MELAKA, April 16 — Three chicken egg producing companies were charged in the Session’s Court here today with profiteering from the sale of A grade chicken eggs.

The companies, namely, LTK (Melaka) Sdn Bhd, Chong Yee Nam Sdn Bhd and Chong Wei Chit Sdn Bhd, who were each represented by their company directors, pleaded not guilty to the charges against them, which were read separately by the court’s interpreter, before Sessions judge Norma Ismail.

LTK (Melaka), was charged with profiteering in the sale of an A grade chicken egg by 17.46 per cent resulting in a margin percentage increase of from 12.29 per cent to 29.75 per cent, at the premises of the company at Batu 11 ½, Durian Tunggal, Alor Gajah near here, at 11.15am, on March 7.

Chong Yee Nam, was charged with selling an A grade chicken egg by 12.86 per cent resulting in the mark up increase percentage of from 14.41 per cent to 27.27 per cent at the premises of the company at No: 5097, Lendu New Village, at 2.15 pm, Dec 13 last year.

And Chong Wei Chit was charged with profiteering in the sale of an A grade chicken egg by 27.59 per cent resulting in the mark up increase percentage of from 5.06 per cent to 32.65 per cent at the company premises at No: 6592, Jalan Lendu, Alor Gajah, at 2.30 pm, Dec 12, 2018.

The three companies were charged with flouting Regulation 3(b) and 3(a) of the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering (Mechanism to Determine Unreasonably High Profit) 2018 and charged under Section 14(1) of the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act 2011 which was punishable under Section 18(a) of the same act.

For the offences, the three companies involved could be fined a maximum RM500,000 each and for a second offence, be fined not more than RM1 million, each if guilty.

The prosecution was handled by the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs’s Deputy Public Prosecutor Hazril Harun and Mohammed Heikal Ismail, while lawyer Nahdan Rengganathan Abdullah represented the three companies.

The court fixed May 16 for remention of case. — Bernama