The 63-year-old is scheduled to appear at the Kulai magistrates’ court to face a charge under Section 108(3)(e) of the Road Transport Act 1987 for using a vehicle with a registration number that was altered, covered or obscured, Buletin TV3 reported.

The offence carries a penalty of between RM5,000 and RM20,000, or imprisonment of up to five years, or both, if convicted.

Kulai police chief Tan Seng Lee said the charge related specifically to the act of altering or concealing the vehicle’s number plate – and not for illegally purchasing subsidised petrol.

Last week, a video went viral showing the man and his wife filling petrol into a Singapore-registered Volkswagen Jetta at a petrol station in Kulai.

The car’s number plate was covered with black tape.

The vehicle’s owner presented himself to the police to assist with investigations after a video of the incident went viral.