Basheer Ahmad Maula Sahul Hameed
KUALA LUMPUR: A mechanic was sentenced to a total of 11 years’ jail and three strokes of the cane by the Sessions Court here yesterday for stealing RM7,650 belonging to a victim of the missing Malaysia Airlines (MAS) Flight MH370.
Judge Norsharidah Awang handed down the sentence on Basheer Ahmad Maula Sahul Hameed, 34, who changed his plea to guilty on four charges last April 28.
He had pleaded not guilty to the charges on Aug 20 last year and the case went to trial. Four witnesses testified during the hearing which began on April 16.
When handing down the sentence, Norsharidah said the court took into account the action by the accused which had tarnished the image of financial institutions and public interest.
The court regarded the act by the accused as despicable and inhumane, she added.
Basheer Ahmad Maula was charged with four counts of using a debit card and ATM card belonging to Chinese national Tian Jun Wei to withdraw RM7,650 from the victim’s account through four separate transactions.
The offences were committed at the HSBC Amanah ATM, Ampang Point, Ampang here between 10.02am on May 15, 2014 and 11.28 pm on June 29, 2014.
He was sentenced to two years’ jail on the first count and two years’ jail and a stroke of the cane for the second charge.
On the third and fourth count, he was sentenced to three years’ jail and a stroke of the cane, and four years’ jail and a stroke of the cane, respectively.
However, he was ordered to serve the jail sentences concurrently from today.
Meanwhile, the court issued a warrant of arrest for Basheer Ahmad Maula’s wife, Nur Shila Kanan, 34, who was supposed to be in court for sentencing in the same case.
Basheer Ahmad Maula told the court that his wife was down with diarrhoea and handed to the court a medical certificate.
However, the court doubted the authenticity of the medical certificate as Nur Shila’s name was incomplete and there was amendment to the date.
Following which, the court postponed sentencing on Nur Shila to today.
Nur Shila is charged with 12 counts of transferring money belonging to Malaysian citizens by using as genuine forged documents and cheating the bank supervisor, as well as stealing the money.
The offences were committed at her workplace at HSBC Bank in Lebuh Ampang between May 14 and July 8 last year.
Deputy public prosecutor Ahmad Fadhli Mahmud prosecuted, while the couple was unrepresented. — Bernama