MELAKA: A company owner was fined RM200,000 by the Ayer Keroh Sessions Court today for using forged documents to claim incentives under the Penjana Kerjaya 2.0 programme.
Judge Elesabet Paya Wan meted out the sentence on Mohd Azmi Mat Sah, 55, after he pleaded guilty to an alternative charge.
The court also ordered the accused to serve 12 months in jail if he failed to pay the fine.
Mohd Azmi was charged with committing the offence at the office of DRAZZ Global Resources at Jalan Kristal Merah 2, Limbongan Business Complex in the Melaka Tengah district on June 5, 2021.
The charge, framed under Section 471 of the Penal Code and punishable under Section 465 of the same law, carries a maximum prison sentence of two years or a fine or both.
Earlier, deputy public prosecutor from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, Irwanshah Abdul Samat, requested a deterrent sentence as the offence involved public interest and some of the documented workers had never worked with the accused.
Meanwhile, lawyer Azrul Zulkifli Stork, representing Mohd Azmi, appealed for a minimum sentence without jail time because his client has chronic high blood pressure and had to bear a loss of RM250,000 after receiving nearly 100 workers from Sabah but was unable to provide them with job placements.
Elesabet also allowed the balance of RM16,402.93 in the company’s account to be forfeited to the Malaysian government.-Bernama
