KOTA KINABALU: A husband and wife were freed by the Magistrate’s Court here yesterday from a charge of cheating a housewife of RM120,000 six years ago.
Magistrate Nuruhuda Mohd Yusof acquitted and discharged Siman Sino @ Mohd Ali Senor, 55, and his 46-year-old wife, Tinah Ahmad, who were both defended by counsel James Tsai.
In her reserved judgment, Nuruhuda held that the defence had cast reasonable doubt on the prosecution’s case.
The duo were accused of cheating the housewife of RM120,000 by deceiving her into believing that a land application at Kampung Gusi in Kinarut, Papar, which was applied for by her together with other applicants, was in the process of being issued with land titles and the issuance could be speeded up.
The alleged offence was committed at the Land and Survey Department here in the middle of October, 2006.
Siman, who was an administrative assistant and Tinah, a junior general assistant, were charged under Section 420 of the Penal Code which provides for a jail term of between one year and 10 years and with whipping and also liable to a fine, upon conviction.
The cheating trial started on November 21, 2010 with the prosecution having called 17 witnesses to testify against both the accused.