Kota Kinabalu: A woman pleaded not guilty in the Special Corruption Court here yesterday to 50 counts of falsifying documents to secure food supply tenders for school hostels worth RM21 million from 2014 to 2018.
Rita Pengeran, 31, claimed trial before judge Abu Bakar Manat after the charges were read out to her by the court interpreter.
She was charged with submitting fake bank statements to the Sabah education department (JPNS) to obtain food supply tenders for schools in several districts in the state.
Rita, who was self-employed, was charged with committing the offences at the JPNS office here between August 2014 and November 2018.
The charges, under Section 471 of the Penal Code, provide for up to seven years’ imprisonment or a fine or both, upon conviction.
Rita was allowed bail of RM15,000 in one surety and ordered to report to the Keningau Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission office once a month.
She was also told to surrender her international passport to the court, and not to harass the prosecution witnesses for the duration of the case.
The court fixed June 20 for mention.
Meanwhile, 10 other individuals pleaded guilty in the same court to falsifying bank statements to secure food supply tenders for school hostels.
Melinah Minus, 31, Yulles @ Osman Yakin, 40, Yunani Haikal, 38, Saliuddin Ariffin, 38, Juanis Yakin, 38, Marudin Andawai, 32, and Kathlenawati Siambing, 49, faced three charges each under Section 471 of the Penal Code.
Ruslan Rasul, 36, and Noryana Luciana Abdullah, 43, faced two charges each under Section 109 of the Penal Code for conspiring, while Eunus Likuran, 52, was charged with three counts under the same section.
The court fined them RM5,000 for each charge.
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