SIBU: A 41-year-old man was fined RM4,000, in default four months’ jail, by the Magistrates’ Court here on Thursday (April 23) for possessing an assortment of fireworks and firecrackers illegally.
Law Lee Sing, 41, pleaded guilty to the charge which was read and explained to him through an interpreter.
He was indicted for having in his possession various types of fireworks and firecrackers in huge quantities without a valid permit at his house at Jalan Jerrwit Timur on February 6 at about 10:00 am.
The offence falls under Section 8 Explosive Act 1957 which provides for an imprisonment of up to seven years or fine of RM10,000 or both, upon conviction.
According to the facts of the case, acting on a tip off on February 6, a team from the General Operations Force (PGA) conducted a raid at a house at Jalan Jerrwit Timur which was suspected to be a storage location for fireworks and firecrackers without a valid permit.
Further inspection at the house found that the accused had failed to produce a valid document or permit for possessing the items.
Subsequently, he was placed under arrest and the items were seized for further action.
Police investigation revealed that the accused failed to provide any relevant document to store or keep the seized items.
The Licensing Department from Sibu District Police headquarters verified that the accused never submitted any form of application nor was he given any licence or permit to keep or sell the seized items at his premises.
The accused admitted that the seized items belonged to him and he had kept all the fireworks and firecrackers in his house in huge quantities.
A report by the chemist stated that the seized items contained chemicals that could produce sparks, explosive sounds and light as stated in Section 2 of the Explosive Act.
The case was prosecuted by ASP Sokolinkam Changgan while the accused, who was unrepresented, opted to pay the fine.
