A retired government officer has been sentenced to 12 months in prison and fined RM73,600 after being found guilty of submitting false claims for food and drinks supplied during the 2019 SAGA IX Keningau Games in Sabah.
Jaffar Matamin, 62, was convicted under Section 18 of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009.
According to the charge, Jaffar, who was serving as Keningau District Information Officer at the time, submitted claim documents for supplying food and drinks to media personnel at the Media Centre of the Keningau Sports Complex on February 18, 2020.
The claims were related to the supply of breakfast, lunch and afternoon refreshments during the SAGA IX Keningau Games, held from December 5 to 13, 2019.
However, the claim documents, amounting to RM14,720, contained materially false details because the food and drinks had not been fully supplied.
Sessions Court judge Dr Nur Ashikin Mokhtar sentenced Jaffar to 12 months’ imprisonment, effective from the date of his conviction on October 9.
He was also fined RM73,600, equivalent to five times the value of the disputed claim. Failure to pay the fine will result in an additional six months in prison.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Wardah Ishhar handled the prosecution, while Jaffar was represented by lawyers from M.S Shah & Associates.
