Former director accused of lodging fabricated documents to claim incentives
A former director of an import-export company has been fined RM21,000 for submitting false information to claim incentives from Malaysia's Social Security Organisation (Perkeso).
P Poowesna has been accused of submitting fabricated Employee Confirmation Forms in 2021 to claim RM62,120 in incentives under Perkeso' Penjana Kerjaya 2.0 programme, Bernama reported. According to the report, the false documents were lodged to Perkeso officers claiming they hired 10 supposed new employees despite not doing so.
Poowesna and her ex-husband Mohana Sundharam, another former director of the company, received four charges of conspiring to submit the false documents to claim incentives.
They were charged under Section 18 of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2009, according to the Bernama report. It could land them in prison for up to 20 years or get them fined of up to five times the amount involved, or RM10,000, whichever is higher.
Despite initially not pleading guilty last November, Poowesna pleaded guilty to the four charges on Wednesday at the Sessions Court.
Judge Datuk Ahman Kamal Arifin Ismail ordered a fine of RM21,000, adding that Poowesna would serve a one-month jail term for each charge if she fails to pay the fine.
Sundharam, on the other hand, was absent from court on medical leave after suffering from food poisoning. His plea hearing has been schedule on August 8.
