KUCHING: An ice factory in Bintawa here has been fined RM5,000 by the Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday (June 27) after pleading guilty to operating without a valid licence certified by the Ministry of Health Malaysia (KKM).
The factory owner admitted to the offence as soon as the charge was read out with the assistance of an interpreter before Magistrate Zaiton Anuar.
The charge pertained to the contravention of Regulation 394A(4) read together with Regulation 397(1) of the Food Regulations 1985.
The factory was found guilty of preparing ice from an unapproved source for trade or business without a valid licence.
If found guilty, the owner could have faced a fine not exceeding RM10,000 or imprisonment for up to two years under Regulation 397(2) of the same Regulations.
The prosecution was carried out by health prosecution officers Bush Kujat and Muhammad Qamarulariffin.
In a previous media report, it was mentioned that enforcement officers from the Health Office, Kuching Division conducted raids and inspections on 23 ice factories in April.
As a result of the raids, a notice was issued to the factory in Bintawa for operating without a valid licence certified by the KKM.
During the raid, the factory was found to be unhygienic, emitting a foul smell, and using rusty metal blocks as ice moulds that had not been replaced for the past 30 years.
