About 70% of vehicles being used by foreign nationals caught in Johor JPJ enforcement operations had been acquired through informal “hand-over” transactions without their ownership being legally transferred, says Johor JPJ director Zulkurnain Yasin. The finding highlights a potential enforcement problem, with the person using a motorcycle not necessarily being the person recorded as its owner in JPJ’s database.
Since June 1, Johor JPJ has issued 3,072 notices to 1,346 foreign nationals during Ops PeWA, while 10,580 vehicles were inspected. The operation resulted in the seizure of 347 motorcycles, 69 cars and 24 other private vehicles, according to news reports.
Zulkurnain said the situation can become more complicated when foreign buyers leave Malaysia and sell the vehicles to other individuals. Vehicles can change hands several times while the registered ownership remains unchanged, making it difficult for JPJ to trace the ownership history.
