KUALA LUMPUR: A Bangladeshi company director was fined RM50,000 by the Sessions Court for submitting a forged document to the Malaysian Immigration Department three years ago for a Labour Recalibration Programme (RTK 2.0) application on Wednesday (Jan 14).
Judge Suzana Hussin imposed the sentence on Mohammed Jasim, 43, after he pleaded guilty to an alternative charge, ordering him to serve one year in prison should he default on the fine.
The father of five was accused of knowingly using a falsified Letter of Award from a design firm for a proposed renovation project at a condominium on Jalan Tun Razak, at the Immigration Department’s Enforcement Division in Putrajaya on Sept 27, 2023.
He was charged under Section 471 of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum sentence of two years' imprisonment, a fine, or both.
In mitigation, the accused’s lawyer, Farith Emier Farhan Morni, appealed for a fine, saying his client had cooperated fully, including voluntarily returning from Bangladesh in November last year when summoned.
Deputy public prosecutor Nidzuwan Abd Latip, however, sought a deterrent sentence, contending the accused had breached the trust of the Companies Commission of Malaysia and the Construction Industry Development Board by using forged documents for a non-existent project.
According to the facts of the case, the Immigration Department had emailed the accused’s company, Nisa Resources Sdn Bhd, on Sept 18, 2023, to schedule an appointment for its RTK 2.0 application for 14 construction workers.
Subsequently, the accused, acting through his wife (a co-director of the company), submitted the required 'Thumbprint' application and a list of workers on Sept 27.
During the appointment at the Putrajaya Enforcement Division, the accused’s wife presented a falsified Letter of Award from ‘Orion Management Corporation’ as genuine.
The Orion Condominium Management Corporation later confirmed the document was a forgery, saying the project was fictitious, the letterhead was invalid, and that it had never conducted business with Nisa Resources. - Bernama
