KOTA KINABALU: In a recent development, a hostel supervisor from a secondary school in the Sandakan district has been slapped with a hefty RM30,000 fine by a Special Corruption Court. The supervisor, Hermansah Masari, pleaded guilty to three counts of using forged invoices to falsely claim payments for the supply of food and other items. The charges were made against Hermansah for his actions in 2016 and 2017, where he utilized fake documents to fraudulently claim a total of RM14,300.
During the court hearing on Thursday, July 13, Hermansah Masari was faced with a fine of RM10,000, or alternatively eight months’ imprisonment, for each of the three charges. The first count accused him of conspiring with another individual to dishonestly utilize a forged invoice for a students’ Hari Raya event, falsely claiming RM6,000 at SK Karamunting on July 14, 2017. Moving on to the second count, Hermansah was charged with the same offense, but this time it involved claiming RM5,000 as payment for equipment supply for a camping program at the same school on March 17, 2017. Lastly, on the third count, Hermansah was accused of conspiring with another individual to use another counterfeit invoice to claim RM3,300 for the supply of items relating to a leadership program organized by the school on December 23, 2016.
These charges have been framed under Section 471 of the Penal Code, which falls under Section 465 of the same law and is to be read together with Section 109 of the Code. Convictions under this law warrant a maximum two-year jail sentence or fine, or both. However, in this case, the accused opted to settle the RM30,000 fine on the same day as the hearing.
Prosecuting officer Dzulkarnain Rousan Hasbi represented the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) throughout the proceedings, while the accused chose not to be legally represented. This case serves as a reminder of the consequences individuals may face when engaging in corrupt practices.
Credit: The Star : News Feed
