Filipina jailed for using fake extract of birth certificate

A Filipino woman was sentenced to four years jail by the Magistrate’s Court here yesterday for using as genuine a fake extract of birth certificate registered under another person’s name.

Rina Salian, 29, admitted before magistrate Jessica Ombou Kakayun to using a fake extract of birth certificate bearing number SB118/99 under the name of Salmi when the actual name registered with the National Registration Department’s system was Dellyla.

The accused was arrested at the investigation and enforcement division of the National Registration Department at Jalan UMS on August 9 for committing the offence under Section 471 of the Penal Code, which is punishable with a jail term of up to seven years and a fine, upon conviction.

The court was told that on August 19, the accused had allegedly submitted the said fake document to get a replacement of a registered birth certificate. However, a check with the department’s system revealed that the document presented was fake as the birth certificate no. SB118/99 was under the name of Dellyla and not Salmi as per the document presented by the accused.

In mitigation, the unrepresented accused pleaded for a lenient sentence and for her jail sentence to run concurrently with her five months jail sentence for entering the State without any valid travel document.

The court ordered the accused to serve her jail term consecutively with her previous jail sentence and to be referred to the Immigration Department upon completion of her sentences for further action.