Contractor jailed 32 months, caned for cheating duo of RM48,300

KOTA KINABALU: A contractor was jailed a total of 32 months and was ordered to be given three strokes of the cane by the Magistrate's Court here for cheating two men of RM48,300 by offering non-existent Kota Kinabalu City Hall (DBKK) low cost houses and jobs.

Magistrate Stephanie Sherron Abbie also fined Jusli Sulaiman RM3,000, in default, six months' imprisonment after he admitted to both two counts of cheating under Section 420 of the Penal Code, yesterday.

The charges carry a jail term of up to 10 years and whipping and also liable to a fine, upon conviction.

On the first count, the 44-yearold accused was jailed 16 months plus the said fine for cheating one Hafizan by claiming that he (the accused) could manage DBKK's so-called low cost house purchase. This induced the victim to give the accused RM1,200 at Taman Keramat on November 23, 2017.

The unrepresented accused was sentenced to another 16 months' jail and the whipping sentence for cheating one Rudy by making the victim believe that he could manage the purchase of the nonexisting house and also so-called employment opportunities at DBKK, thus causing the victim to give him RM47,100 at the same place between November 12, 2017 and February 19, 2018.

The magistrate ordered the jail terms to run concurrently from the date of his arrest on September 18.

Prosecuting officer Inspector Albert Basiri told the court that the first victim Hafizan, met the accused at the said location and handed him the said cash but up to now, he still had not got the house as said by the accused, prompting him to lodge a police report against the accused.

As for the second victim, Rudy, the facts stated that Rudy's friend, one Zulkarnain, had introduced Rudy to the accused, who was said to be a contractor attached to DBKK.

After meeting with the accused, Rudy found 27 other people who were interested to buy the houses and another seven persons who wanted the job opportunities.

In order to get what these people wanted, the accused told them that each of them who wanted to get the houses must pay RM1,800 while to get the jobs, they would have to pay RM1,800 each and another RM3,500 for posts that they would be applying for.

In mitigation, the accused prayed for a lenient sentence and requested for his jail terms to run concurrently.