ALOR SETAR: Three company owners were fined RM50,000 each by the Sessions Court today after they pleaded guilty to faking their company bank account statements to obtain public cleansing tender.

Judge Harmi Thamri Mohamad meted the sentence on Mohamad Asri Sapar, 48, Roslan Jaafar, 52, and Mohamad Shamsul Aizat Mohd Salleh, 31, in default 12 months' imprisonment.

Harmi Thamri said the punishment was meted out in the public's interest and set an example to the people for such offences.

According to the charge, Mohamad Asri and Roslan were accused of passing off the fake company bank statements for the months of October to December 2018 in their application for the tender of Privatisation of Solid Waste Collection and Public Cleansing Management in the northern region.

They were accused of committing the offence at Wisma Idaman Sdn Bhd here on Jan 14 2019 and between Feb 11 to March 5 2019 respectively.

The three were charged under Section 471 of the Penal Code punishable under Section 465 of the same code which provides for a maximum prison sentence of two years or a fine or both.

In the same court, another company owner Zamri Mohamad, 53, pleaded not guilty to the same charge as Mohamad Asri and Roslan.

The court allowed Zamri bail at RM20,000 in one surety with the additional condition of not interfering with the witness and set Sept 29 for the re-mention of the case.

The prosecution was handled by Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) prosecuting officer Mohd Zulfadli Azharudin.

Mohamad Asri, Roslan and Mohamad Shamsul Aizat were not represented while Zamri was represented by lawyer Syed Muhammad Anwar Syed Lokman Hakim.

The three accused paid their fines while Zamri put up his bail.

-- BERNAMA