text: [{"text_idx": "#000004", "text": "The High Court delivered a landmark ruling yesterday in finding the road transport department (JPJ) negligent in not maintaining accurate vehicle registration records, Free Malaysia Today reported."}, {"text_idx": "#000005", "text": "This case was brought by Dr Hema Thiyagu, who bought the vehicle, a 2013 Toyota Vellfire, not knowing it was a cloned vehicle. In May last year, Hema sued the Penang JPJ director, the JPJ director-general and the federal government, after the department seized the vehicle 10 months after she purchased it. The JPJ said its chassis and engine numbers had been tampered with."}, {"text_idx": "#000006", "text": "Hema claimed in her suit filed that the JPJ failed to explain how the tampering was not detected when she registered the vehicle, and her lawyer K. Simon Murali submitted that the JPJ was negligent in allowing the vehicle\u2019s chassis and engine numbers to be registered to a different vehicle."}, {"text_idx": "#000007", "text": "Further submission by Murali claimed that, based on testimony from witnesses from the JPJ, there was no evidence that the previous owner of the Vellfire was present during the transfer of ownership in Ipoh, Perak, despite this being a legal requirement, the report wrote."}, {"text_idx": "#000008", "text": "The stolen vehicle was then illegally registered and had changed hands several times before it was purchased by his client, who did not know its status."}, {"text_idx": "#000009", "text": "The JPJ said in its defence that Hema\u2019s vehicle was cloned and had been reported stolen in Labu, Negeri Sembilan in 2019, while its chassis and engine numbers had been from another vehicle in Johor. This Johor-registered vehicle had been owned by an insurer after an accident in 2018, and it was auctioned the following year."}, {"text_idx": "#000010", "text": "A subsequent buyer, when trying to change the ownership to his name, found the vehicle was \u201calready registered\u201d, the JPJ said in its defence statement, according to the report. The department said it was not obliged to inspect the vehicles before registering them as these duties lay with Puspakom, saying that its registration process was based only on required documents and therfore was not legally obliged to tell Hema why her vehicle was seized."}, {"text_idx": "#000011", "text": "Justice Anand Ponnudurai said the JPJ director-general has a responsibility to maintain an accurate vehicle register, especially of cars flagged as cloned, and said the department should have seized the vehicle upon discovering it was cloned. The judge said that Hema was unaware she had bought a cloned vehicle and because there were multiple previous owners, there was no suspicion in her case."}, {"text_idx": "#000012", "text": "\u201cJPJ had evidence as early as December 6, 2019, eight months before Hema bought the vehicle, suggesting that the Vellfire may be cloned, but did nothing,\u201d and as a result, the Penang JPJ director and the JPJ director-general had breached their statutory duties, Anand said."}, {"text_idx": "#000013", "text": "The judge awarded Hema RM139,000 in damages and RM10,000 in costs, which are to be paid by the federal government, which was named as the third defendant. In this case, senior federal counsel Muhammad Sinti represented JPJ and the federal government."}, {"text_idx": "#000014", "text": "Looking to sell your car? Sell it with myTukar."}, {"text_idx": "#000016", "text": "175, 909 saman kenderaan perdagangan bernilai RM52.772 juta masih tertunggak \u2013 JPJ"}, {"text_idx": "#000019", "text": "JPJ says claims made in a viral post stating a physical road tax is still mandatory untrue, police report lodged"}, {"text_idx": "#000021", "text": "Motorcycle rider who rammed into JPJ roadblock in PD, injuring officer, pleads guilty in court \u2013 RM5k fine"}, {"text_idx": "#000022", "text": "S\u2019pore seizes, freezes US$1.76bil worth of assets in laundering case"}, {"text_idx": "#000023", "text": "2023 Toyota Yaris updated in Malaysia \u2013 9-inch head unit, wireless charger; up to RM4.7k more, RM88-92k"}, {"text_idx": "#000024", "text": "In landmark ruling, court finds JPJ negligent in cloned car case"}]