Businessman claims trial to two cheating charges

KOTA KINABALU: A businessman claimed innocence after being charged with two counts of cheating at the Magistrate’s Court here yesterday.

Nijar Sazali, 32, who appeared before magistrate Stephanie Sherron Abbie, was charged under Section 420 of the Penal Code, which is punishable with imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than one year and not more than ten years and with whipping, and shall also be liable to a fine

On the first and second counts, the unrepresented accused was alleged to have deceived two men by representing himself as a solicitor from Suhakam, offering to assist both of tehm to get their kids released.

According to the charge sheet, the accused had allegedly induced the two victims to hand over RM3,750 and to bank in RM800 respectively, at the Suhakam office on the eighth floor of a shop building here at 10 am on July 10.

In view of his plea, the court fixed September 15 this year for case management and released the accused on RM3,000 bail for both charges in two local sureties.

Meanwhile, a mechanic with three previous convictions for syabu was jailed for five years and given two strokes of the cane by the same court for committing a similar offence.

Asri Kadir, 31, pleaded guilty to a charge framed under Section 15 (1) (a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 which is punishable under Section 39C of the same Act.

Prosecuting officer Inspector Suzie @ Stephanie Kupit told the court that the accused was apprehended at the Penampang police station after his urine sample tested positive for drug abuse on July 22.

The court also ordered the accused to be placed under police supervision for two years.