KUALA LUMPUR: A cooking oil wholesaler's premises in Bandar Tun Razak here was raided after it was suspected of misappropriating an estimated 1.6 million kilogrammes of cooking oil since April.

Kuala Lumpur Ministry of Domestic Trade and Affairs (KPDNHEP) chief enforcement officer Nurul Syarina Md Anuar said the raid was carried out at noon yesterday following reports and information received regarding the activity.

She said the licensed premises had been operating since March and it obtained cooking oil supplies from manufacturers and packers around Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Perak and Pahang.

The wholesaler was believed to have been supplying the subsidised cooking oil to an unlicensed company in Johor Bahru, Johor.

"It had been selling an estimated 1.6 million kilogrammes of cooking oil with a subsidy value amounting to RM960,000 since April," she told reporters at a press conference held at KPDNHEP's store for exhibits here today.



KPDNHEP-COOKING OIL 2 (LAST) KUALA LUMPUR



She said KPDNHEP had recorded the statement from the 40-year-old local owner of the wholesale premises and seized related documents for further investigations.

Nurul Syarina said the subsidised cooking oil was also believed to have been exported that caused a shortage of supply in the local market.

She added the case was being investigated under Regulation 9 (2) of the Control of Supplies Regulations 1974 for supplying controlled items, namely cooking oil to unlicensed parties.

KPDNHEP would monitor and conduct inspections on all cooking oil distribution networks to ensure its uninterrupted supply in the market and to prevent misappropriation of subsidised cooking oil by irresponsible parties, she said.

-- BERNAMA