KOTA KINABALU (April 19): A total of 11 company owners were fined RM15,000 each by the Special Corruption Court here on Tuesday (April 19) for submitting false bank statements to obtain a tender for the supply of cooked food for school hostels amounting to more than RM25.79 million between 2014 and 2018.

All of them pleaded guilty to three separate charges of submitting false documents after the charges were read before Judge Abu Bakar Manat.

The accused were Rosnah Lutok, 33, Menly Masikar, 31, Erar Angsabung, 53, Tekenah Aring, 36, Naima Omopor, 47, Darius Pengeran, 29, Amira Atirah, 25, Irwan Gintaun, 34, Asrin Songorou, 29, Pulali Angsabung, 31, and Sahadi Andawai, 23.

They were accused of fraudulently using fake documents as genuine, namely bank statements submitted to the Sabah State Education Department, to secure a tender to supply cooked food for schools under the Ministry of Education in several districts in the state.

The charges against them were framed under Section 471 of the Penal Code, punishable under Section 468 of the same Code.

The court ordered them to pay an RM5,000 fine for each of the charges and all of the accused paid the fine.

The prosecution was conducted by Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) prosecuting officer Nurul Izzati Sapifee, while the accused were represented by lawyer Datu Baginda Datu Laja.

Meanwhile, in the same court, two individuals also pleaded guilty to three charges of submitting false documents to obtain a tender to supply and deliver foodstuffs to the Kota Belud Hospital between 2017 and 2018 amounting to more than RM1.29 million.

The charges against the accused, Emeylina Tanggauh, 38, and Faizal Mingin, 40, were framed under Section 471 of the Penal Code, which is punishable under Section 468 of the same Code.

The court ordered both of them, who were unrepresented, to pay RM5,000 for each of the charges. They paid the fine.

Source : BERNAMA