PUTRAJAYA: A company offering umrah packages and two of its directors were charged at the Magistrate’s Court here today with failing to comply with the Tribunal of Consumer Claims’ award to repay RM589,031 to 21 victims last year.
Syarikat Emraz Travel & Tours Sdn Bhd, represented by its directors, Datuk Dr Zulkarnain Endut, 43, and his wife, Mazuin Mustafa, 43, as defendants plead not guilty to the charges read in front of Magistrate Irza Zulaikha Rohanuddin.
Under the first to 63rd charge in accordance with Section 117(1) of the Consumer Protection Act 1999, the company and both directors are charged with 63 counts of not complying with the tribunal’s award dated June 8 and Aug 25, 2023 instructing the company to repay RM589,031 to 21 victims, who are the plaintiffs.
The prosecution was led by deputy public prosecutor Mohd Sophian Zakaria, who sought RM2,000 bail for each charge and for the accused to surrender their passports and report in to the Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry office every month.
Lawyer Datuk Hanif Hassan, who represented the defendants, objected and stressed that RM2,000 bail for each charge would burden his clients.
Irza Zulaikha then set bail at RM6,300 for each of the accused, with the additional conditions suggested by the prosecution, and set Feb 26 for case mention.
The license of the company in question, Emraz Travel & Tours Sdn Bhd was reported to have been suspended for six months, effective July 10, 2023 to Jan 9, 2024 after the police announced receiving 399 reports about fraudulent umrah packages offered by the company on Nov 29, with losses estimated at RM14.2 million since January 2023. -Bernama
