SIBU: A soldier, who printed counterfeit notes amounting to RM4,000, has been sentenced by the Sessions Court to two years in jail.
Abdul Shahmi Syafiq Abdul Rahman fromTanjung Manis was charged under Section 489C of the Penal Code for possessing counterfeit notes.
The offence provides for a jail term of not up to 10 years.
He printed the counterfeit notes as he was short of money for his wedding.
According to the case brief, Shahmi lodged a police report at about 12.36pm on Feb 16 claiming that RM4,000 which he had withdrawn from an ATM machine in Jalan Kampung Nyabor were counterfeit notes.
The police report was for reference so that he could get a replacement from the bank for the alleged counterfeit notes.
Police investigation later revealed that Shahmi had printed 25 pieces of RM100 notes and 30 pieces of RM50 notes himself using a printer from an office in the army camp in Jalan Oya.
Shahmi, 29, an army corporal, in his mitigation said he had committed the offence as he was pestered by his fiancee’s family to marry her.
As he was short of money for the wedding slated for March 30, he printed the counterfeit notes.
After he was arrested, he said his fiancee broke up with him.
In pleading for leniency yesterday, he said he was remorseful for what he had done.
Weeping silently, he said he was the breadwinner of his family as his parents were divorced when he was still in primary school.
With his RM1,700 salary, he said he had to support his mother, 50, and two of his three sisters. The youngest one, 18, has breast cancer.
Prosecuting officer Mohamad Zulfadhli Tuah asked the court to pass a sentence of not less than four years’ jail to serve as deterrent, adding that printing counterfeit notes was a serious offence.
Justice Caroline Bee Majanil ordered that Shahmi serve the sentence from the day of his arrest.
