T'GANU VETERINARY DEPT ASST OFFICER FINED RM5,000 FOR SUBMITTING FALSE DOCUMENTS

KUALA TERENGGANU, Nov 11 (Bernama) -- A Terengganu Veterinary Department assistant officer was fined RM5,000 by the Sessions Court today for submitting false documents related to vehicle maintenance and spare parts.

Judge Mohd Azhar Othman imposed the fine on 46-year-old Mohd Hisham Daud after he pleaded guilty to two out of four alternative charges presented separately.

He is accused of approving work orders or local purchase orders for supplying spare parts and maintaining department vehicles through Serangkai Automobiles Sdn Bhd, valued at RM1,615.20; RM1,574.09; RM3,808.10; and RM1,581.30, none of which the company completed.

He allegedly committed the offences between March 2019 and June 2020 and was charged under Section 471 of the Penal Code, which is punishable by up to two years imprisonment, a fine, or both upon conviction.

The court sentenced him to a fine of RM2,000 in default two months imprisonment for the second alternative charge, and RM3,000 in default three months imprisonment for the third one.

The first and fourth alternative charges were taken into consideration under Section 171A of the Criminal Procedure Code.

Mohd Hisham’s lawyer Mohamad Afiq Farhan Mohd Hanipha appealed for a fine, saying his client has four school-going children and is the sole breadwinner.

The accused, employed in Besut, had shown remorse and fully cooperated with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) from the outset of the case, he added.

He submitted that despite the risk of losing his job, income, and civil servant benefits, his client chose to admit his wrongdoing.

However, deputy public prosecutor Mariah Omar stressed the need for a commensurate penalty to serve as both a lesson for the accused and a deterrent to others.

Before passing the sentence, Mohd Azhar warned that failing to address such offences could undermine government finances and expressed hope that the sentence would serve as a lesson for Mohd Hisham.

-- BERNAMA