Tumpat: Eight fishermen pleaded not guilty in the Sessions Court here today to the charge of possessing more than 19,836 litres of subsidised diesel without a valid licence in April. The accused Mohd Raffi Ramli, 47; Haziq Haiqal Bahrom, 24; Zawawi Zakaria, 48; Mohd Shahrul Azan Ismail, 39; Mohd Zurin Yahya, 51; Muhammad Nor Haffizi Azhar, 24; Muhamad Haika Dalwis, 22; and Ahmad Fahami Sukrie Mohamad, 33 made the plea after the charges were read in front of Judge Zulkpli Abdullah.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the charges were read separately, accusing the individuals of possessing a scheduled controlled item, diesel fuel amounting to 19,836.768 litres, in circumstances that could raise reasonable suspicion. The incident occurred at Pengkalan Nazori Kampung Geting, Tumpat between 4.53 and 4.55 pm on April 12.

The charges fall under Section 21 of the Control of Supplies Act 1961, with penalties under Section 22(1) of the same act, which includes a maximum fine of RM1 million or imprisonment for up to three years, or both.

The prosecution was handled by deputy public prosecutor of the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living (KPDN) Siti Edabayu Subhan, along with prosecuting officer Muhammadi Iman Masjuri. All the accused were represented by lawyer Mohd Azrul Hasyimi Mohammad.

Muhammadi Iman requested RM20,000 bail for each charge, citing the serious nature of the case involving controlled goods and public interest. However, the defense, represented by Mohd Azrul Hasyimi, requested a minimum bail due to the financial difficulties faced by the accused after the seizure of their boat.

The court granted bail of RM4,000 to Muhamad Haika and Ahmad Fahami Sukrie, while the other six accused were released on bail of RM10,000 each with one surety. The court has scheduled a case mention for document submission on July 2.