Minister Salahuddin Ayub said he had ordered the task force, led by KPDN secretary-general Azman Mohd Yusof, to act immediately to prevent more leakages.

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

“Operations are also being carried out at fishermen’s jetties where leakages can occur,” he said after a Back to School Aid event at Dewan Raya Taman Bukit Indah here today.

The Pulai MP said the ministry would mobilise its 2,100 enforcement officers and personnel to conduct operations.

Asked whether KPDN would tighten the procedures for obtaining diesel subsidies, Salahuddin said his ministry would conduct an in-depth investigation into the leakage issue before making any decision.

“We also need to work with the agriculture and food security ministry, which provides a diesel aid programme for fishermen,” he said.

Yesterday, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, when tabling Budget 2023, said there were leakages in the implementation of diesel subsidies.

Almost RM10 billion worth of diesel was misappropriated last year, he added.