KOTA KINABALU: The Magistrate’s Court here yesterday released a local lawyer on a good behaviour bond for two years with RM2,000 bail and RM300 deposited in one local surety.
Magistrate Cindy Juce Mc Balitus made the order after Martin Tommy @ Tommy, 53, pleaded guilty to a charge of cheating a man of RM100,000 on August 2007, 2011.
Tommy, who is defended by counsel Nelson W. Angang, was charged under Section 420 of the Penal Code which provides for a jail term of between one year and 10 years, whipping and a fine upon conviction.
The facts of the case, tendered by Deputy Public Prosecutor Chow Siang Kong, stated that Tommy had dishonestly convinced the 49-year-old that he was a lawyer and could help the latter with the sale of a piece of land.
Tommy then asked the man to hand over RM100,000 to him to secure the land transaction.
When the land deal failed, the accused only returned RM40,000 to the man and the remaining RM60,000 was paid in two bounced cheques.