14/03/2025

FRIDAY | MAR 14, 2025

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Public urged to report cooking oil shortage JOHOR BAHRU: The Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry has urged the public to be the eyes and ears of the ministry and report any shortages of bottled cooking oil in their areas. Johor ministry director Lilis Saslinda Pornomo said this collaboration is vital to ensure the continuous supply of cooking oil, especially as the Hari Raya Aidilfitri festive season approaches. “We will continue to monitor

Study on splitting A-G, public prosecutor roles almost complete KUALA LUMPUR: Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said is leading a Malaysian delegation to London to wrap up a groundbreaking study on splitting the roles of the attorney general and public prosecutor. After trips to Canada and Australia last year for in-depth studies, this final phase aims to determine a model tailored for Malaysia. Azalina said the empirical study began with a high-profile roundtable co organised by the Legal Affairs Division of the Prime Minister’s Department, University College London (UCL) and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. “Over 30 legal experts and academics debated the roles of the attorney general and public prosecutor as practised in Malaysia and the United Kingdom,” she said. She said the delegation met England and Wales Attorney General Lord Hermer K. C. at the Justice Ministry for a detailed briefing on the UK system. She added that they also engaged with UK House of Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle, who had recently visited the Malaysian Parliament. Azalina said discussions with the Crown Prosecution Service and its Inspectorate provided further insights into prosecutorial powers and oversight practices. She said a final report is in progress and will be presented to the Cabinet later this year. “The Secretariat for the Empirical Study is preparing a comprehensive report, which will guide our next steps.” – Bernama RON97, diesel prices drop this week until March 19 KUALA LUMPUR: The retail price of RON97 petrol dropped by 10 sen, to RM3.28 per litre, while diesel in the peninsula decreased by seven sen, to RM3.06 per litre, yesterday, and will remain so until March 19. In a statement, the Finance Ministry said the retail price of RON95 petrol remains unchanged at RM2.05 per litre, while diesel in Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan remains at RM2.15 per litre. The prices are determined based on the weekly retail prices of petroleum products using the Automatic Pricing Mechanism formula. The ministry said the government remains committed to monitoring market developments and will continue to adjust the retail price of diesel based on the global oil market while ensuring price stability. – Bernama

bottled cooking oil to the increase in global crude palm oil prices, coupled with the government’s price ceiling policy, which has made it difficult for companies to cover operational costs. – Bernama

the situation from time to time and urge the public to report to us immediately if they encounter this problem,” she said after visiting the Rahmah Ramadan bazaar on Wednesday. She attributed the shortage of

Fake birth certificate syndicate busted in joint operation

Ű BY QIRANA NABILLA MOHD RASHIDI newsdesk@thesundaily.com

o A total of 18 arrested, including mastermind, middlemen and informants in four-state crackdown

zone,” she said. Additionally, Yeoh the government, through the Credit Counselling and Debt Management Agency, has and will continue to carry out various programmes to assist the target groups in becoming more financially savvy and practising responsible financial management. She added that all these efforts are aimed at reducing the risk of bankruptcy among Malaysians, especially young people. – Bernama said he said. The operation, codenamed Ops Tumpang, was conducted simultaneously at multiple locations across four states on Tuesday and saw the arrest of 10 local women and eight men. “Among them, four individuals, including a legal practitioner, are suspected of acting as middlemen between agents and applicants. “He is also believed to be the mastermind behind the syndicate. “Meanwhile, the other six have been identified as birth informants. The authorities also seized RM54,000 in cash from the suspects, believed to be proceeds from these illegal activities,” Saifuddin said. He added that the NRD has not ruled out the possibility of further arrests as investigations progress. The case is being investigated under Section 36(1)(b) of the Births and Deaths Registration Act 1957 (Act 299) for allegedly providing false information during birth registration. If convicted, offenders may face a fine of up to RM20,000, imprisonment of up to three years or both. The case is also expected to be investigated under other laws within the MACC’s jurisdiction. On Wednesday, it was reported that the MACC arrested 16 individuals, aged between 20 and 70, between 11am and 8pm on Tuesday during Op Outlander and Op Birth, which were conducted across the Klang Valley and Johor. Among those detained were a civil servant, a medical practitioner with the title Datuk Seri, a legal practitioner, several agents and birth registration applicants. A total of 12 individuals have been remanded for up to five days until March 16, while four others, including the medical practitioner with the Datuk Seri title, were released on MACC bail for health reasons after their statements were recorded.

PETALING JAYA: The National Registration Department (NRD), in collaboration with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) intelligence division, busted a syndicate involved in falsifying birth certificates on Tuesday after a year-long joint intelligence operation. Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution said the operation, conducted simultaneously across multiple locations in four states – including Putrajaya, Selangor, Penang and Perak – revealed that the syndicate

registration. Once an official birth certificate was obtained, it is believed to have been sold on the black market to parents or guardians of children without identification or Malaysian citizenship. “The syndicate is also suspected of having both domestic and international networks and is likely involved in smuggling undocumented children from abroad to be sold to these parents,”

had falsified birth documents by creating and replicating fake documents to resemble official verification from registered and legal private healthcare facilities. “These fraudulent documents were then used to cheat the NRD for birth registration purposes. “The syndicate’s modus operandi involved individuals acting as birth informants by submitting fake birth documents at NRD counters during

Saifuddin (centre) displaying the seized items during a press conference yesterday. – BERNAMAPIC

Over 5,200 youths declared bankrupt since 2020 KUALA LUMPUR: A total of 5,272 youths below the age of 34 have been declared bankrupt from 2020 to this year, according to Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh. “According to the Insolvency Department’s records, the main cause of bankruptcy cases in 2024 was personal loans, which accounted for 2,776 cases or 46.4% of the total 5,977 bankruptcy cases,” Hannah said. this year and the main causes behind the issue.

(four cases). She said the ministry, through the National Youth and Sports Department, has taken the initiative to organise a special nationwide youth financial literacy programme, which aims to enhance youth financial resilience, from April to October this year. “For this year too, the ministry is also organising the youth economic empowerment programme focusing on the cost of living elements for youth participants, particularly in the central

Yeoh said factors contributing to youth bankruptcy include business loans (1,148 cases), housing loans (474 cases), other forms of debt (463 cases), vehicle hire-purchase loans (444 cases), corporate guarantees (383 cases), income tax debt (110 cases), credit card debt (89 cases), failure to contribute to the Employees Provident Fund (77 cases), scholarships and student loans (nine cases), and social guarantees

She said of the total, 5,189 were aged between 25 to 34, while 83 others were below 25. “The trend of bankruptcy among youths shows an increase, with 877 cases recorded in 2024 – which is 150 cases higher than the 727 cases recorded in the previous year.

She was replying to Senator Roderick Wong Siew during Question Time at the Dewan Negara sitting yesterday. The senator had wanted to know the total number of youths aged 35 and below who are declared bankrupt as of