Primary school headmaster gets eight months’ jail

Sent to jail: Subramaniam being led away after his sentencing at the Sessions Court in Shah Alam. — Bernama

SHAH ALAM: A primary school headmaster has been sentenced to eight months’ jail for taking bribes to extend the school’s canteen operator’s contract three years ago.

M. Subramaniam, 56, was found guilty of two charges of accepting RM4,400 from the canteen operator to extend his contract when he was the headmaster of SKJ(T) Rawang.

He was first charged with accepting a RM1,500 cheque from K. Devega on Jan 30, 2014, at the school canteen in exchange for his endorsement letter to extend the contract.

He was also charged with accepting another cheque for RM2,900 from Devega on Oct 8, 2014, at the same place and for the same purpose.

Sessions Court judge Asmadi Hussin said the defence had failed to raise reasonable doubt against the prosecution’s case.

During mitigation, Subra­maniam’s counsel M. Athimulan pleaded for a lighter punishment, saying that his client had used the money to better the school.

He also said it was his client’s first offence and he has three school-­going children to provide for.

Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) deputy public prosecutor Mahamad Shukri Abu Seman requested for a deterrent sentence and urged the judge to consider public interest and the fact that the accused had misused his position.

Asmadi sentenced the accused to four months’ jail for each of the charges and ordered the sentences to run consecutively starting from yesterday.

He also granted the defence’s application for a stay of execution until the appeal process was completed.