20/05/2026

WEDNESDAY | MAY 20, 2026 5 Court acquits former Perlis MB’s son KANGAR: The Sessions Court yesterday acquitted and discharged the son of former Perlis menteri besar Mohd Shukri Ramli from a charge of submitting a false claim amounting to RM19,505.10 in February 2024. Judge Datuk Nu’aman Mahmud Zuhudi ruled that the prosecution had failed to establish a prima facie case against Mohd Syafeeq Mohd Shukri, 37, after evaluating the testimony of witnesses. As a result, the accused was not called to enter his defence. “Therefore, the accused is acquitted and discharged, and the bail money of RM20,000 is to be returned,” the judge said. On May 23, 2024, Mohd Syafeeq pleaded not guilty in the same court to a charge of submitting a government order to Nurul Nabilah Mohd Sukri, an administrative assistant at the District Administration Division of the Perlis State Secretary’s Office, with intent to deceive his principal. He was accused of having reason to believe that the claim document dated Feb 14, 2024, involving RM19,505.10 in the name of Mohd Farid Abdul Hamid for beverage supply services for the Raja of Perlis, Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin Jamalullail, at Tuanku Fauziah Hospital contained false particulars. The charge was framed under Section 18 of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2009. Meanwhile, speaking after proceedings, MACC deputy public prosecutor Ahmad Fariz Abdul Hamid said the prosecution had called 11 witnesses throughout the two-year trial. He said the prosecution would file a notice of appeal at the Kangar High Court within 14 days against the decision. Mohd Syafeeq was represented by lawyer Mohd Fadhly Yaacob. – Bernama Woman e-hailing driver assaulted by teens ALOR GAJAH: A female e-hailing driver was injured after allegedly being assaulted and choked by three teenage passengers who claimed they could not afford the fare upon arriving near a forested area in Kuala Sungai Baru on May 14. Alor Gajah police chief Supt Ahmad Abu Bakar said the 41-year-old victim had accepted a booking involving four passengers – two girls aged 14 and two boys aged 15 and 17 – from Bukit Rambai to Pekan Kuala Sungai Baru at about 12.30am that day. “Investigations found that upon arriving near a forested area in Kuala Sungai Baru, one of the suspects asked the victim to stop the vehicle on the pretext of looking for someone and also claimed they had no money to make an online payment. “A few minutes later, three of the suspects – two girls and one boy – turned aggressive and attacked the victim using a hard object, besides choking her from behind the driver’s seat and threatening her not to seek help,” he said in a statement yesterday. Ahmad said the fourth suspect did not return to the vehicle as he had fled the scene. He said the e-hailing driver managed to escape before lodging a police report on the same day. The victim sustained swelling and bruises on several parts of her body as well as compression marks on her neck. Ahmad said medical examinations confirmed the injuries were consistent with assault, and the case is being investigated under Section 324 of the Penal Code. He added that all four teenagers were arrested on the same afternoon and remanded until today to assist investigations. – Bernama

Doctors urge government not to appeal vape decision

o Putrajaya should restore poison controls immediately instead of repeating mistakes driven by fiscal interests: MMA

The exemption created a regulatory gap lasting one year and seven months until the Control of Smoking Products for Public Health Act 2024 came into force on Oct 1 last year. The ruling has also reignited debate over how the government should recover the revenue it had expected from vape nicotine excise duties. Galen Centre for Health and Social Policy founder and chief executive officer Azrul Mohd Khalib argued that the government has a clearer alternative – increasing cigarette excise duties instead of challenging the ruling. “What the government should do now is increase cigarette excise duties to at least RM0.77 per stick. It requires very little administrative or regulatory effort. The collection mechanism is already in place. The government simply needs to amend the excise rate,” Azrul wrote in an opinion piece published on the Galen Centre website. He noted that the Galen Centre estimated in 2025 that such an increase could generate an additional RM771.8 million in tax revenue, significantly higher than the approximately RM209.5 million collected from nicotine vape excise duties since 2023.

Ű BY FAIZ RUZMAN newsdesk@thesundaily.com

there for all to see,” Thirunavukarasu said. He added that the ruling exposed a broader pattern of health policy being shaped by revenue considerations rather than medical evidence. “The Poisons Board gave unanimous expert advice. It was overruled. The court has confirmed that was wrong. MMA urges the government not to appeal this ruling. Accept it. Learn from it. The health of our children is not a budget line item,” he said. On May 15, the High Court ruled that the government acted unlawfully when it removed vape-related liquid and gel nicotine from the Poisons List in March 2023, a decision signed by then health minister Datuk Seri Dr Zaliha Mustafa. Judge Datuk Aliza Sulaiman found the move irrational and made without adequate consultation with the Poisons Board, which had unanimously opposed the exemption. The court also ruled that the decision was primarily driven by economic considerations, noting it followed Budget 2023’s proposal to impose excise duties on nicotine vape products.

PETALING JAYA: Medical practitioners have firmly urged the government not to appeal the High Court’s ruling on liquid nicotine, warning against repeating the 2023 mistake of allowing fiscal considerations to override medical advice. Malaysian Medical Association president Datuk Dr Thirunavukarasu Rajoo said the government should immediately relist liquid nicotine under the Poisons Act 1952 and restore public health safeguards following the court ruling. The MMA, which appeared as amicus curiae in the case, said its position has remained unchanged since the exemption was gazetted in March 2023. “Since March 2023, MMA has repeatedly issued statements opposing this decision. We warned that removing nicotine from the Poisons Act before any tobacco control law was in place was reckless. We called on the government to relist it. We asked the prime minister to reverse the decision. The record is KOTA KINABALU: The Sessions Court has convicted a former director of the Sabah Water Department on 12 money laundering charges involving more than RM45 million in a case linked to offences committed a decade ago. Judge Abu Bakar Manat ruled yesterday that the prosecution had proven its case beyond reasonable doubt against Ag Mohd Tahir Mohd Talib, 63. The charges comprised 11 counts under Section 4(1)(b) and one count under Section 4(1)(a) of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001 (Amla), involving offences committed in Sabah and Kuala Lumpur between October and November 2016. The massive cash seizure became a key factor in the conviction. Investigators discovered more than RM23 million at Ag Mohd Tahir’s office, over RM13 million inside two of his vehicles and more than RM8 million at his home. Luxury items including watches, handbags and vehicles were also seized. The judge noted that the defence failed to dispute the discovery of the cash or provide a convincing explanation for its source, dismissing the accused’s claim that the money came from profits earned through a business venture with a friend rather than from bribery proceeds. The court also found that insufficient documentary evidence had been submitted to support the claim. “The court is satisfied that the accused used his position as director to carry out a centralised collection scheme. The evidence was overwhelming, yet the accused failed to explain the source of the money,” Abu Bakar said, while clarifying that the case concerned money laundering under Amla and not corruption. Meanwhile, Ag Mohd Tahir’s wife, Fauziah Piut, 61, was acquitted of 19 similar charges after the court ruled that a marital relationship alone was insufficient to establish her as an accomplice. The court also found that the prosecution failed to prove any common intention between

However, Azrul cautioned that higher tobacco taxes must be accompanied by stronger Customs enforcement, tighter border controls and action against corruption to effectively curb the illicit cigarette trade. Ex-Sabah water director guilty of money laundering

Ag Mohd Tahir (left) arriving at the court for the ruling. – BERNAMAPIC the couple.

directly linking cash found to money laundering activities involving Lim. Ag Mohd Tahir and Fauziah were represented by a legal team led by Datuk Ansari Abdullah, while Lim was represented by a team led by Datuk Tan Hock Chuan. – Bernama

Former deputy director Lim Lam Beng, 72, who faced four charges under the same Act, was likewise acquitted after the defence successfully raised reasonable doubt. The court found there was no evidence