Kota Kinabalu: A 49-year-old woman was jailed four years by the Magistrate’s Court here after being found guilty of cheating her business partner of RM312,900 over government tenders.
Magistrate Wan Farrah Farriza Wan Ghazali meted the sentence to Dayang Sariah Ratman.
Sariah was found guilty of deceiving Su Nget Yung by tricking him into handing over RM312,900 to obtain a tender for the supply of cooked food to school dormitories and a tender for cleaning school grounds under the State Education Department.
She had committed the offence at Putatan town between July 6, 2018 and April 19, 2019.
The charge under Section 420 of the Penal Code carries a jail term of between one year and 10 years, and whipping and is also liable to fine, on conviction.
Eight prosecution witnesses and one defence witness testified during the trial.
Sariah, who was represented by counsel Shahlan Jufri and Mohd Luqman Syazwan, managed to obtain a stay of execution of the sentence pending her appeal to the High Court.
The Magistrate released her on a bail of RM6,000 in two sureties pending the appeal and to report herself to the nearest police station once a month until the disposal of the appeal.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Ling Guong Zhin prosecuted.
