01/05/2026

FRIDAY | MAY 1, 2026

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Illegal cigarettes cost M’sia RM4 billion in lost revenue

Jailed for throwing newborn off 38th floor KUALA LUMPUR: A 24-year-old woman was sentenced to two years’ jail by the High Court for causing the death of her newborn child after throwing the baby from the 38th floor of a condominium last year. Judge Datuk Aslam Zainuddin handed down the sentence on Lua Mei Zhu and ordered it to take effect from the date of her arrest on Feb 27 last year. She broke down in tears upon hearing the judgment. Lua had earlier pleaded guilty to an alternative charge of infanticide while in a disturbed mental state due to childbirth. She committed the offence between 1.30pm and 9pm on Feb 26, and was charged under Section 309A of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum jail term of 20 years and a fine. According to the case facts, police received a report at 10.21pm on Feb 26 from a man who discovered a baby with severe head injuries on the external balcony of his ninth-floor unit. Police then went to a unit on the 38th floor, where they found Lua in a room before arresting her. Investigations revealed the baby died from multiple injuries sustained after falling from a height. Lua had thrown the newborn out of the bathroom window shortly after giving birth, reportedly in a state of panic. In mitigation, defence counsel Loke Kok Mun said his client regretted her actions and had already been remanded for one year and two months. He said the incident stemmed from her immaturity in handling the situation. Although she knew she was pregnant out of wedlock in the final trimester, she did not seek medical care due to fear of social stigma. “She was under emotional distress and was even afraid to inform her family, fearing shame as the baby’s father was of a different race and religion,” he added. He said she had suffered prolonged depression after a breakup and received psychiatric treatment for three months at Hospital Bahagia Ulu Kinta in Perak. – Bernama Serviceman pleads not guilty to fraud MALACCA: A Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) officer with the rank of major pleaded not guilty at the Ayer Keroh Sessions Court yesterday to five charges of submitting false claims amounting to more than RM225,000 linked to the supply of non-existent raw materials two years ago. D. Vivekananthan, 43, is accused, in his capacity as commanding officer of the 9th Squadron of the Royal Engineer Regiment (9 SKN RAJD) at the Terendak Camp in Malacca of using invoices from five companies with the intent to deceive the Defence Ministry. The invoices allegedly contained false details relating to raw materials for maintenance and construction works at the camp, with a total value of RM225,018.75, which were not actually supplied. Among the charges, he is accused of using an invoice under Jelatok Rimba Enterprise for three projects, including a skills training workshop, two squad posts and a vehicle training storeroom, valued at RM80,000. Other charges involve invoices from WH Technic Resources, Sri Bistari Trading, Subsurf Sdn Bhd and Fareena Universal for various maintenance works, with amounts ranging from RM20,000 to RM49,545. The offences were allegedly committed at the 9 SKN RAJD office between March 12 and Nov 19, 2024, Bernama reported. The charges are framed under Section 18 of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009, punishable under Section 24(2), which carries a jail term of up to 20 years and a fine of not less than five times the amount involved or RM10,000, whichever is higher. MACC DPP Sharina Farhana Nor Sa’ari proposed bail of RM30,000, with conditions including surrender of passport and monthly reporting.

o Illicit share hits 56.7% amid enforcement gaps, fake tax stamps and rising smuggling

Ű BY FAIZ RUZMAN newsdesk@thesundaily.com

KUALA LUMPUR: A military officer was charged in the Magistrate’s Court here in connection with a fatal crash on the Maju Expressway (MEX) that claimed the life of a Bangladeshi gaming content creator earlier this month. Kapt Jad Faid Arhan, 31, faces a murder charge over the death of Muzahid Millad, 22, widely known online as “Advance Gaming”, at Km1.9 along the Salak Selatan-Jalan Tun Razak stretch on April 23. The crash occurred at about 5.30am. Jad appeared composed when the charge was read before Magistrate Illi Marisqa Khalizan and nodded to indicate he understood it. He was dressed in a red collared T-shirt and dark blue jeans, and was handcuffed in the dock. KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia is losing about RM4 billion in revenue as illicit cigarettes now account for more than half of total consumption, driven by fake tax stamps and low penalties, according to Japan Tobacco International Malaysia. The estimate is based on NielsenIQ Illicit Cigarette Studies released yesterday, which showed illicit incidence rising from 54.4% in November 2025 to 56.7% in January. The company said the increase followed the lifting of the tax moratorium, a cigarette excise duty hike in November and the retail display ban under the Control of Smoking Products for Public Health Act 2024, highlighting how quickly the market reacts when affordability is affected. JTI Malaysia corporate affairs and communications director Mohammad Nazli Abdul Aziz said the latest figure translates into a major loss to public coffers. “At 56.7% illicit incidence, in ringgit terms, it is approximately RM4 billion in loss of government revenue. “This is not just an industry issue. It is a national fiscal issue and it deserves to be treated as one.” Nazli said Malaysia should set a national target to reduce illicit trade, noting that counterfeit tax stamps have nearly doubled from 8.7% in 2023 to 16% in January. He said criminal syndicates were increasingly investing in fake tax stamps and cross-border supply chains, citing a raid in Cebu, the Philippines, where counterfeit Malaysian tax stamps were allegedly found on cigarettes intended for Malaysia. To help consumers identify illicit products, he said the RM12 minimum price should be used as a basic benchmark under current regulations. “For duty-paid and legitimate products, the minimum price is RM12. Anything sold below that price is illicit. “Even if it has a tax stamp, it is still illicit if it is sold below RM12, because under the regulation, cigarettes cannot be sold below Ű THESUN TEAM newsdesk@thesundaily.com

Mohammad Nazli (left) and Didier discussing the results of the study during the press conference. – AMIRUL SYAFIQ/THESUN

RM30,000 to RM50,000, upon conviction. Lawyer Nazreen Jaafar Abdullah appeared for Jad, while deputy public prosecutor Nordin Ismail represented the prosecution in both courts. Illi fixed July 21 for mention and no bail was granted. Muzahid and his wife had arrived in Malaysia for a holiday and were travelling in an e-hailing vehicle from KL International Airport when the crash occurred. Preliminary investigations found that Jad’s car veered into the opposite lane before colliding head-on with the vehicle carrying the couple. Muzahid’s YouTube channel, Advance Gaming, has more than 777,000 subscribers. News of his death triggered widespread grief and calls for justice on social media in Bangladesh. everything must use digital tax markings.” Selamat said the system would include a track-and-trace mechanism requiring each stock movement to be registered as a distribution event, from factory production lines to importation into Malaysia. “So when you scan it, you will know exactly from which point the stock is moving. This is a new feature that can address the smuggling issue.” He said enforcement agencies would have more detailed access through the digital system, while a public verification application is expected to be announced later by the Customs Department. JTI Malaysia managing director Didier Ellena said sustained progress would require consistency and coordination. “Without alignment across the system, gains can be quickly reversed, as we have seen.”

RM12,” he said. Nazli also

The court directed him to remove his face mask before proceedings began. The charge under Section 302 of the Penal Code carries the death penalty upon conviction. If the death sentence is not imposed, the accused faces between 30 and 40 years’ imprisonment and a minimum of 12 strokes of the cane. In a separate court, Jad claimed trial before Magistrate Tg Syazwany Yasmin Tuan Roslan to two additional charges under Section 44(1A)(b) of the Road Transport Act for causing injury while driving under the influence of alcohol. He is accused of injuring e-hailing driver Jailani Sapih, 40, and Muzahid’s wife Nafisa Tabassum Adiba, 20, at the same place, time and date. The offence carries a jail term of between seven and 10 years, and a fine ranging from raised over enforcement penalties, noting that smugglers in Malaysia face fines of about RM4,000, compared with Singapore where users can be fined up to SG$10,000 (RM39,700) and smugglers up to SG$300,000. “So maybe one of the issues here is low penalties. Smugglers will do their own cost benefit analysis and say, ‘Maybe the risk is not so high.’” JTI Malaysia head of external affairs Mohamad Selamat Tan said the shift from physical tax stamps to digital tax markings is expected to begin next year following consultations with authorities since December. He said the Finance Ministry had indicated imports using physical tax stamps would be allowed until the end of this year. “In other words, beginning next year, concerns

Officer charged with murder in fatal MEX highway crash