Company owner fined RM80,000 for submitting false documents for Penjana claim

KUALA LUMPUR - A company owner was fined RM80,000 by the Sessions Court here today for using false documents in the employee verification form to obtain payments under the National Economic Recovery Plan (Penjana) amounting to RM63,500 two years ago.

Judge Suzana Hussin meted out the fine, in default five months in jail, on Raymond Sim, 35, after he changed his plea to guilty to two alternative charges at today's proceeding which was set for case management.

The company owner was charged with two counts of using false documents, namely the employee verification forms of two companies -- Fireshot Marketing Sdn Bhd and Minbot Sdn Bhd -- dated May 29 and June 1, 2021, which were found to contain names of employees not employed by the companies concerned.

The purpose was to obtain payment under Penjana, amounting to RM46,000 and RM17,500, respectively, to implement the Employee Hiring Incentive and Training Programme.

Both offences were committed at the Social Security Organisation (Socso) offices in Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya between June 3 and June 10, 2021.

The charges were framed under Section 471 of the Penal Code and punishable under Section 465 of the same law which provides imprisonment for up to two years or a fine or both, if found guilty.

On another 10 alternative charges, involving forged documents, facing Sim, they were considered as 'take into consideration' (TIC) under Section 171A of the Criminal Procedure Code.

Deputy public prosecutor Irna Julieza Maaras prosecuted, while lawyer Reuben Ong represented Sim. - BERNAMA