KUALA LUMPUR: Fifteen individuals have been fined between RM800 and RM3,500 by separate Magistrates’ Courts here after admitting to providing false information to the National Registration Department (JPN) in efforts to obtain birth certificates and identity cards.
Twelve men and three women, aged between 50 and 70, were also informed that they could face imprisonment for between one and five months if they fail to settle the fines.
Thirteen of the defendants were charged with submitting false details when applying for birth certificates at JPN branches across Kuala Lumpur, including Taman Maluri, Bandar Tun Razak and Kepong, between 2004 and 2022.
They were prosecuted under Section 36(b) of the Births and Deaths Registration Act 1957 (Act 299), which provides for a fine of up to RM2,000, a jail term of up to 12 months, or both.
Four of them were also charged under a separate provision for using falsified birth certificates in MyKad applications for 12-year-olds.
Those cases fall under Regulation 25(1)(b) of the National Registration Regulations 1990 (Amendment 2007), which carries penalties of up to three years’ imprisonment, a fine of up to RM20,000, or both.
Following the court proceedings, JPN’s director of investigation and enforcement Mohammad Khairu Farhan Md Saad told reporters that the department would assist the individuals in updating their children’s official records.
This includes birth certificates and identity cards, regardless of whether the children are under or over the age of 21, he said.
“For children under 21, corrections must be made to details such as the parents’ names and place of birth. An adoption order will also be required before a citizenship application can be submitted.
“For those above 21, the birth records must be amended first before the citizenship application process can begin,” he noted.
