Abang Sepawie (left) leaving the Sessions Court.
KUCHING: A former assistant financial administration officer was fined RM32,000 at the Sessions Court here yesterday, after pleading guilty to 10 charges of using false documents involving money amounting to RM45,000 for the Sarawak Biro Tatanegara (BTN) programme in 2016.
Judge Nixon Kennedy Kumbong also ordered Abang Sapawi @ Abang Sepawie Abang Nor, 57, who is now a retiree, to serve 10 months’ jail should he fail to pay the fine.
The accused reportedly settled the payment.
According to the charges, Abang Sepawie had dishonestly used as genuine forged documents, namely 10 payment vouchers, to claim cost of food supplies for the ‘Program Bersama Ketua Pengarah’ and ‘Program Cinta Negara’ in stages in 2016 in his office at Jalan Sultan Tengah here.
The programmes were scheduled to take place in the same year in several places such as at Senayang Multipurpose Hall in Kota Samarahan, Layar Betong Community Hall, Kemas Limbang Multipurpose Hall and Limbang Community Hall.
However, the investigation found that no food was supplied for the programmes.
Moreover, an administrative officer working at the Samarahan District Office had confirmed that there was no Senayang Multipurpose Hall in Kota Samarahan.
Thus, Abang Sepawie, who was not represented by counsel, was charged with an alternative charge under Section 471 of the Penal Code, which stated: ‘Whoever fraudulently or dishonestly uses as genuine any document which he knows or has reason to believe to be a forged document, shall be punished in the same manner as if he had forged such document’.
In mitigation, Abang Sepawie appealed for a fine as he had to care for a wife and a son who is undergoing mental treatment.
He also told the court that this was his first offence, and he now relies on his pension to support his family.
The prosecution was conducted by deputy public prosecutor of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), Nur Nisla Abd Latif, together with prosecuting officers Ikhwan Ibrahim and Miller Jawoi.