Man sentenced to 15 years' jail for cheating Malaysia defence ministry of RM888,000

KUALA LUMPUR (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK): A company director was sentenced to 15 years' jail by a Sessions Court to six counts of cheating the defence ministry over the alleged repair of guided missile launchers in 2007.

Sessions Court Judge Norsharidah Awang made the decision after the defence had failed to raise reasonable doubt in the case against Ab Rahim Ghalim.

Judge Norsharidah sentenced Ab Rahim to two years' imprisonment for the first, second and third charge and instructed the sentences to run concurrently.

She also sentenced him to three years' jail each for the remaining three charges, also to run concurrently.

In total, Ab Rahim will spend five years in jail.

Ab Rahim, the director of ARG Sdn Bhd, was charged with duping the defence ministry's officers and staff by deceiving them into believing that the company carried out repairs on six missile launchers and induced them into making payments totalling RM888,000 (S$351,998) into the company's bank account.

The offences were committed at the ministry's billing branch in Wisma Pertahanan, Jalan Padang Tembak, on March 5, 2007.

He could have been jailed up to 10 years, whipped and fined.

Judge Norsharidah acquitted and discharged Ab Rahim's brother Baharuddin, 55, to six counts of abetting him in committing the offences at the same time and place.

Baharuddin, who formerly worked for Ab Rahim, was charged under Section 109 of the Penal Code, which carries the same punishment.

The judge also granted a stay of sentence to Ab Rahim but increased the bail to RM100,000, up from RM25,000.

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