TAWAU: A man who falsely claimed to be the driver in a road accident to shield the real culprit was fined RM2,000 by the Tawau Magistrate’s Court, while the actual driver was slapped with RM11,000 in fines for fleeing the scene and driving recklessly.
Mohamad Amin Suarno, 43, pleaded guilty to giving false information to a public servant after claiming he was driving the Proton Saga involved in the crash at Jalan Megah Jaya at 7am on May 28.
He was charged under Section 182 of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum penalty of six months’ jail or a RM2,000 fine, or both. The real driver was Foo Vun Yen, 20, who was drunk when he crashed into an electric pole.
Magistrate Dayang Aidaku Amira Aminuddin ordered him jailed a week if he fails to pay the fine and reminded him to treat the sentence as a lesson against helping others carelessly to his own detriment.
Case facts showed Mohamad Amin received a call from his neighbour asking for help, then met a man known as Acin, who offered him RM500 to claim responsibility for the accident.
He agreed and lodged a false report at the Traffic Investigation and Enforcement Division at Tawau district police headquarters.
Foo fled to Kuala Lumpur and worked at his brother’s shop instead of reporting the accident, until police instructed his father to bring him back to Tawau.
Foo was fined RM7,000 for reckless driving under Section 43(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987, and RM2,000 each for failing to stop at the scene and failing to report the accident within 24 hours, both under Section 52(1) of the same Act.
Prosecuting officer ASP Joan Lee asked for stiff sentences for both men, saying their actions wasted police time and resources and forced a longer, more complicated investigation to trace the real driver.
