Two men were each sentenced to 14 days in prison and fined RM8,000 by the Kuantan Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday after pleading guilty to forging medical certificates.
Magistrate Ellyna Othman handed down the sentence after Mohd Shukrie Zainuddin, 28, and Muhammad Asyraf Zunaidy, 31, admitted to the charges read against them.
The court also ordered both men to serve an additional eight months in prison if they failed to pay the respective fines.
The pair admitted to dishonestly producing 40 fake documents in the form of medical certificates from a clinic, allegedly using the name and signature of a doctor with the intention of deceiving others.
The offences were committed at a factory along Jalan Bypass Gebeng here between March 28 and July 13.
Both men were charged under Section 465 of the Penal Code, read together with Section 34 of the same law. The offence carries a maximum jail term of two years, a fine, or both upon conviction.
Deputy Public Prosecutor B Deevagaran Naidu urged the court to impose an appropriate sentence, stressing the seriousness of the offence.
However, lawyers from the National Legal Aid Foundation (YBGK), representing both accused, appealed for the court to impose fines instead.
In mitigation, the defence said both men had realised their wrongdoing and promised not to repeat the offence.
The case serves as a reminder that falsifying medical documents can carry serious legal consequences, even when the documents are allegedly intended for workplace-related purposes.
