THE Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry has set up a special task force address the problem of diesel subsidy leakage.

Its minister Salahuddin Ayub said he had ordered the task force, led by ministry secretary-general Azman Mohd Yusof to act immediately to prevent further misappropriation of subsidised fuel.

He said for the past month, the ministry had carrying out enforcement, especially in rural areas, including in Sabah and Sarawak.

Asked whether procedure for obtaining diesel subsidies will be tightened, Salahuddin said his ministry would conduct an in-depth investigation into the full extent of the leakage before making any decision.

“We also need to work with the Agriculture and Food Security Ministry, which has a diesel aid programme for fishermen,” he said.

Yesterday, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, when tabling Budget 2023, said that there was leakage in the implementation of diesel subsidies, where almost RM10 billion worth of diesel was misappropriated last year. – Bernama, February 25, 2023.