SHAH ALAM: A contractor was fined RM50,000 by the Sessions Court here after he pleaded guilty to forging documents related to repair works on a Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) patrol vessel five years ago.
Judge Datuk Mohd Nasir Nordin handed down the sentence on Zulham Shah Mohammad, 44, on Thursday (June 12) and ordered him to serve six months in jail if he failed to pay the fine.
The accused was charged with submitting false documents certifying that Subturbo Sdn Bhd had completed the repairs and tested the Remote Control System and Monitoring Control System on KM Sugut when, in fact, the work had not been carried out.
He was accused of committing the offence at the MMEA Engineering Division, Home Ministry, Levels 4 to 11, One IOI Square, IOI Resort, Putrajaya, on Nov 6, 2020.
The charge was framed under Section 471 of the Penal Code for fraudulently using as genuine a forged document, punishable under Section 465 of the same Code, which provides for a maximum sentence of two years’ imprisonment, a fine, or both, upon conviction.
Earlier, during mitigation, the accused’s counsel, Aiman Abdul Rahman, requested that the court impose the agreed fine of RM50,000.
"I believe the early guilty plea has saved the time of many parties, was made with a sense of remorse, and the accused will not repeat the offence,” he said.
However, Deputy Public Prosecutor from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), Ahmad Fariz Abdul Hamid, requested that the court impose an appropriate sentence as a deterrent to the accused and the public.
In the same court, senior MMEA officer Muhamad Izuar Zainudin, aged 42, claimed trial to a charge of abetting Zulham Shah in forging the documents at the same location and date.
He was charged under Section 471 of the Penal Code, punishable under Section 465 of the same Code, which provides for a maximum sentence of two years’ imprisonment, a fine, or both, if convicted.
Ahmad Fariz requested the court to set bail at RM30,000. However, counsel Shahidah Muslimah Roslan, representing Muhamad Izuar, appealed for a lower amount, citing her client’s cooperation throughout the investigation.
The court then allowed the accused bail of RM10,000 with one surety and fixed July 16 for mention. – Bernama
