Court fines private college ex-CEO RM15,000 for issuing fake certs

The former chief executive officer (CEO) of a private college has been fined RM15,000 for two optional charges of issuing false documents to obtain RM5,000 seven years ago.

Sessions Court judge in Kuantan Ahmad Zamzani Mohd Zain meted out the sentence on Amran Mustaffa, 58, after he pleaded guilty and 12 months jail sentence if he failed to pay the fine.

Amran was alleged to have committed the offence on Oct 21 and Oct 24, 2015, at a bank in Jerantut involving a fake certificate and transcript for the Kolej Sentral science foundation programme in the name of a male student at the college.

According to the facts of the case, the RM5,000 was deposited into the accused’s bank account in return for the issuance of the documents, which can be used to pursue studies overseas, without the student having to attend classes and sit for exams.

The charges were framed under Section 471 of the Penal Code, punishable under Section 465 of the same code, which carries an imprisonment of up to two years or a fine or both if convicted.

Lawyer Ariff Azami Hussein requested the court to impose a fine because the accused had pleaded guilty as soon as the prosecution accepted their request for representation.

"The accused is the head of a large family, with 11 children aged between three and 32. Since the investigation of the case in Nov 2017, he has lost his income and is now doing business with an uncertain income," Ariff said, adding that his client had repented and fully cooperated with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) throughout the investigation.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Rifah Izzati Abdul Mutalif urged the court to impose a deterrent sentence that will serve as a lesson to the accused and the community, adding that the accused’s greed to obtain easy money affects the image and integrity of the country's educational institutions.

- Bernama