TAWAU: A 49-year-old man was fined RM5,000 or jailed three months for displaying a false registration number on the motorcycle he was riding in an attempt to avoid seizure after failing to pay monthly instalments.
Mazaki Mahmood was sentenced by Magistrate Don Stiwin Malanjum after pleading guilty to riding a Modenas Kriss motorcycle while displaying the registration number WNE7668, which was not registered to the vehicle.
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The offence occurred at the Batu 4 roundabout along Jalan Apas on Dec 30, 2025, around 7.45am. According to the facts of the case, police officers were conducting point duty in the area when they stopped Mazaki, who was riding the motorcycle in a suspicious manner.
Initial checks revealed that the registration number WNE7668, displayed on both the front and rear of the motorcycle, was actually registered to a Nissan X-Trail 2.5 4WD.
Further inspection of the chassis and engine numbers revealed that the motorcycle’s actual registration number was ST8927M. Investigations also revealed that the vehicle’s licence and insurance had expired since Nov 18, 2010.
Mazaki was found to have used a sticker on the front and a number plate at the rear to display the false registration number.
Additional investigations showed that the motorcycle was registered under the name of Mazaki’s wife, Hartini Ali.
Mazaki admitted to changing the registration number to avoid the motorcycle being seized by authorities due to his failure to make monthly instalment payments.
The prosecution was brought under Section 108(3)(f) of the Road Transport Act 1987, which carries a penalty of a fine between RM5,000 and RM20,000, or imprisonment of between one and five years, or both, upon conviction.
Traffic Prosecution Officer from the Traffic Investigation and Enforcement Division of Tawau District Police Headquarters, ASP Joan Lee, confirmed that Mazaki was not represented during the hearing.
