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A Scholarship Admin Stole RM2.4 Mil And Gave It Out To His Family

He has been sentenced to four years' jail and 146 strokes of the cane.

Cover image via Rasul Azli Samad/New Straits Times & Front Desk

A former Melaka State Education Trust Fund (TAPEM) administrative assistant has been sentenced to four years' jail and 146 strokes of the cane

The administrative assistant was found guilty of embezzling over RM2.4 million in student scholarship funds by the state Sessions Court yesterday, 13 November.

Judge Datuk Mohd Nasir Nordin presented the sentence against the accused, Mohd Hanafi Ismail, after he pleaded guilty to criminal breach of trust under Section 408 of the Penal Code.

According to Bernama, the court interpreter took almost two hours to read out all the charges.

Mohd Hanafi was entrusted with RM2.404 million which was supposed to be given to scholarship students in Melaka

Instead, the 31-year-old had transferred the money into various bank accounts belonging to him, his friends, and family members for almost two years, between January 2017 and December 2018.

He committed the offences in the TAPEM office at Bangunan Kota Cemerlang in Ayer Keroh.

The accused was remanded by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) on 12 January and was charged on 28 October

The prosecution was done by MACC Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Irwan Shah Abdul Samat while the accused was represented by lawyer Emirul Sarifudin Nor Azmi, reported New Straits Times.

In the proceedings, the judge had advised the accused to repent and return the money he stole to the Malaysian government.

However, DPP Irwan said that there was no balance from the account that could be returned or seized by the MACC.

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