KOTA KINABALU – Eleven individuals have been charged by the sessions court for using forged documents to secure a food supply contract for primary and secondary schools around Sabah valued at RM49,045,248.
Ten pleaded guilty and was ordered to pay a RM15,000 fine each but one claimed trial to multiple charges.
Rita Pengeran, 31, faces 50 counts of submitting fake documents to deceive officers from the Education Ministry to win eight food supply contracts between 2014 and 2018.
The offense allegedly took place at the Sabah Education office and Wisma Pendidikan here.
In 2015, Rita allegedly used a fake document to obtain a food supply contract worth RM4,857,500 from the Education Ministry to supply food to SMK Pitas II for the period of March 1, 2016 to December, 31, 2017.
In 2018, she allegedly committed the same offence at the same venue to obtain a food supply contract worth RM3,951,360 for SMK Lohan in Ranau for the period of April 1, 2019 to March 31, 2021.
The same year, the accused allegedly committed the same offence to supply food to boarding school SMK Bundu Tuhan in Ranau with the contract value of RM2,850,624 for the period of March 1, 2019 to March 28, 2021.
Rita allegedly committed the same offence to supply food to a boarding school in Nabawan, SMK Pensiangan between March 1, 2019 and February 28, 2021, with a contract value of RM1,895,040.
In 2015, she allegedly committed the same offence to obtain a tender for SK Ulu Tomani in Tenom, worth RM495,625, for the period of June 1, 2015 to May 31, 2017.
In 2014, she allegedly committed the same offense in order to obtain a contract worth RM2,695,000 to supply food for SMK Gunsanad II in Keningau for the period of March 1 2015 to February 28, 2017.
Again in 2018, Rita allegedly committed the same offence to obtain a RM3,510,360 food supply job for SMK Kundasang, Ranau for the period of March 1, 2019 to February 28, 2021.
The same year saw her allegedly committing the same offense to obtain a RM788,508 food supply contract for SK Tetagas, Nabawan in Nabawan.
Eight others were charged for conspiring with Rita on separate cases namely Melinah Minus, Yulles@ Osman Yakin, Yunani Haikal, Saliuddin Ariffin, Juanis Yakin, Ruslan Rasul, Kathlenawati Siambing, Noryana Luciana Abdullah and Eunus Likuran.
Judge Abu Bakar Manat has allowed a RM15,000 bail in one surety for Rita and also ordered her to report to the Keningau Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission office each month and hand over her passport.
The other eight accomplices who had pleaded guilty were fined RM15,000 each.
In a separate case, Marudin Andawai, who was also charged with the same offence, pleaded guilty and was ordered by the court to pay the same amount of fine.
Marudin allegedly committed the same offense on October 13 to November 6, 2018 at the Sabah Education office here.
He had allegedly used a fake document to obtain a food supply contract worth RM3,715,992 for SMK Sook in Keningau.
All the offences were framed under Section 471 of the Penal Code which is punishable under Section 468, read in conjunction with Section 34 of the same code. The section provides for up to seven years’ imprisonment and a fine. – The Vibes, April 18, 2022
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