Four deny using forged statements to obtain tenders
By Safrah Mat Salleh
KOTA KINABALU: Four persons, including two siblings, claimed trial to three charges of using forged bank statements to obtain school tenders from the Sabah Education Department here.
Sharifah Norhafizah Syed Abdul Hamid, 32, appeared together with her elder brother, Syed Hairul Nizam Syed Abdul Hamid, 41, while Mohd Zul Azri Abd Shani, 41, was called together with Linah Adou, 43, to face the charges under Section 471 of the Penal Code and punishable under Section 468 of the same Code, which were read to them before Sessions Court judge Abu Bakar Manat.
If found guilty, they are liable to a jail term of up to seven years and fine.
On the first case, Sharifah and Syed Hairul were charged with three joint counts of using as genuine three forged bank statements of Syarikat Kadariah Corporation dated July 31, August 31 and September 30, 2016, for the purpose of deceiving to obtain the tender of cooked food supply service to the hostel of SMK Kinabutan Tawau for a contract period between April 1, 2017 and March 31, 2019.
The alleged offence took place at the State Education Department here on November 24, 2016.
For the second case, Mohd Zul and Linah were charged with three joint charges of committing similar offences at the same place and time.
They were alleged to have used as genuine three forged bank statements under the name of Linah Enterprise dated July 31, August 31 and September 30, 2016, for the purpose to deceive the State Education Department to obtain the tender of cooked food supply service to the hostel of Sekolah Kebangsaan Kanibongan in Pitas for a contract period between March 1, 2017 and February 28, 2019.
Prosecuting officer Clementine Severinus from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) during the proceeding yesterday, offered bail of RM20,000 in a local surety to be imposed on each of the accused persons with additional conditions of reporting themselves to the MACC office every two months and their passports to be kept by the court, and prosecution witnesses not to be tampered with.
Counsel Azhier Farhan Arisin, who represented Sharifah and Syed Hairul, prayed for a lower sum of bail on the grounds that both accused had no risk of absconding since the siblings had been reporting themselves to the MACC monthly without fail during their remand and had willingly present for their charges at the court as requested by the MACC.
He also said both accused have family commitments with
Sharifah, who is a lecturer at a higher learning institution, is taking care of their 68-year-old mother and soon to be married while Syed Hairul, who has periodical review at a hospital here due to his illness, has to support his three young children with the youngest being six months old.
Meanwhile, Mohd Zul and Linah, who were not represented, also prayed for a lenient sum of bail since they could not afford the proposed bail amount.
Mohd Zul said he has two schooling children aged 12 and 15 and had lost his source of income since the Movement Control Order (MCO) and currently his wife is working as a food seller while Linah claimed that she and her husband are jobless and they only plant crops on their own for living.
Linah said she has four children aged between three and 22 and admitted that the company (Linah Enterprise) belongs to her.
The court fixed August 18 this year for pre-trial case management for documents to be served to the accused by the prosecution.
Bails were set at RM10,000 each with only RM5,000 to be deposited for Sharifah, Syed Hairul and Mohd Zul while Linah RM3,000, in a local surety.
Additional conditions imposed were to report themselves to the MACC office every two months and their international passports to be surrendered to the court if any and prosecution witnesses are not to be tempered with at any time.