KUALA TERENGGANU: A housekeeper of an offshore company was fined RM4,000 by the Sessions Court today after pleading guilty to using false documents to apply for assistance under the Hardcore Poor Housing Programme (PPRT), worth RM50,000.
The accused, Yushafiszam Yusof, 33, made the confession after the charge was read out by an interpreter, before Judge Mohd Azhar Othman, here today.
Yushafiszam was also ordered to serve two months in jail if he failed to pay the fine.
According to the charge sheet, Yushafiszam fraudulently used a document, which is the PPRT application form, under the People’s Welfare Development Scheme (SPKR), for assistance in building a new house, under the Integrated Village Economic Development Project (Prospek).
He was accused of committing the offence, when he was fully aware that the documents submitted were false, in May 2019, in Kampung Talong, Dungun, and the charge was framed under Section 471 of the Penal Code.
During mitigation, lawyer Mohd Kamaruzaman A Wahab, representing the accused, appealed that Yushafiszam be spared jail and given a minimum fine, on the grounds that he was earning low wages, between RM1,000 to RM3,000 per month, and his guilty plea had saved the court time.
Meanwhile, deputy public prosecutor Mariah Omar pressed for just punishment as it involved public funds and could deny the rights of eligible aid recipients.
Mohd Azhar then adjourned the proceedings for about 10 minutes, before handing down the sentence. He said that the offence committed by the accused had caused the government’s assistance to fail to reach the target recipient.
“If not curbed, this government aid will not reach the target group. Therefore, the court is of the view that a fitting punishment should be imposed, and pray to Allah that this punishment can serve as a lesson to you and others not to do a similar thing,” he said.
A family member of the accused paid the fine. –Bernama
