KUANTAN: A former oil and gas company executive was slapped with a RM100,000 fine by the Sessions Court here today after he pleaded guilty to an alternative charge of submitting false invoices for the purchase of fire and safety equipment worth RM41,760 two years ago.
Mohd Hafez Manap, 38, was the fire and emergency response executive at the company. The court also took into consideration nine other alternative charges against Hafez under Section 171(A) of the Criminal Procedure Code .
Judge Datuk Ahmad Zamzani Mohd Zain ordered the father of two to serve two months' jail if he failed to pay the fine.
In the fourth alternative charge, Hafez pleaded guilty to having used an invoice for RM41,760 with false details for payment at his company's office in the Gebeng Industrial area here on March 11, 2021.
The charge, under Section 471 of the Penal Code, provides for a jail term of up to two years or a fine or both upon conviction. The original charges were under Section 18 of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act.
For the remaining nine alternative charges, Hafez admitted to submitting invoices containing false information to obtain payment for the delivery of fire and safety equipment, including chemical protection suits, fire nozzles, fire hoses, smoke and heat detectors and emergency sounder. However, none of the items were delivered.
He had made the claims, totalling between RM18,900 and RM41,760, at his company's office in the Gebeng Industrial area here between Jan 26, 2021 and Sept 21, 2021.
Lawyer Ridha Abdah Subri, who represented Hafez, proposed a RM80,000 fine, saying his client's guilty plea showed that he was sincere and regretted his actions.
"He has saved the court's time. By looking at the huge pile of documents, a lot of witnesses will have to be called to have their statements recorded, so this has saved cost. My client is also a first time offender.
"My client's income has also been affected as he is now unemployed and has to support his family, including his wife, children and ailing father," he said.
MACC deputy public prosecutor Mohamad Fadhly Mohd Zamry said since the accused had pleaded guilty to the alternative charge, the court had to take into account the other charges when delivering the sentence.
"A fine of RM100,000 will be appropriate as it involves losses amounting to RM320,000 to the company. The fine can serve as a lesson to the accused, so he will not commit such wrongdoings in the future," he said.
Ahmad Zamzani meted out the sentence and said that Hafez could not be charged for any of the remaining nine charges which were taken into consideration.