Kota Kinabalu: A prosecution witness told the Magistrate’s court in a trial of a woman charged with cheating 127 people over purported letters addressed to a former Deputy Home Minister to support their application to obtain “entry permit” and convert IMM13 documents to MyPR, that her MP service centre office had no knowledge of the documents in question that were recovered in the accused’s premises.
Sapanggar Parliamentary Chief Liaison Officer Raini Lekup, who was the prosecution eight witness, said the centre denied claims that the office received documents such as statutory declaration and application letters to obtain MyKad and MyPR.
Raini during examination-in-chief by prosecuting officer Insp. Albert Basiri on Tuesday said that she had never seen nor received any documents containing Deputy Home Minister Datuk Azis Jamman’s support for MyKad and MyPR applications.
To a question when referred to a document, namely “received” receipt slips bearing the Parti Warisan Sabah symbol with the title Pusat Khidmat Rakyat Parlimen Sepanggar on whether she ever saw it, Raini said she once saw the receipt at the office counter.
Raini said document is issued by the office counter and that it was for receipt purpose only.
On trial is Rohani Mohd Ismail who was accused of committing the offence at 2.30pm on Nov. 22, 2018 at Areney Enterprise, Jalan Haji Yaakob in Kg Air here.
The charge also stated that Rohani allegedly deceived the people by making them believe that such application letter could convert IMM13 documents to MyPR which induced the alleged victims to pay her RM42 for each application.
According to the charge, Rohani allegedly obtained a total of RM5,334 from 127 people that day.
The charge under Section 420 of the Penal Code provides for a jail term of between one and 10 years, and whipping and fine, upon conviction.
To a question, Raini said she never met with the accused and that she did not know about the police raid on the Areney premises or its owner.
Raini said the office never sent any documents such as application form for MyKad or MyPR to Areney.
She also said it was not in her knowledge that there was an instruction from her superior to issue the form at Areney premises and that her superior never appointed any party to manage the issuance of the application form at any premises.
Raini told the court that the Sepanggar Parliamentary Service Centre never allowed any premises or other external parties to use the form.
To a question on how the said form ended up at the premises, Raini replied that she did not know it was there.
To another question, Raini since serving at the centre since 2018, there have been no instructions to issue letters of support to outsiders, especially illegal immigrants for the issuance of MyKad or MyPr.
During cross-examination by Rohani’s counsel Farazwin Haxdy, Raini admitted that in November 2018, the office did receive support application documents regarding citizenship status, among others, from various races.
Raini also agreed with Farazwin that there were employees in the office who issued a format for people to copy to be attached with a citizenship status support application.
Raini also agreed with the counsel that the case was caused by irresponsible quarters to defame and gain political mileage and at the same time drag the accused.
Earlier, the prosecution seventh witness Insp. Nur Dalila Hamzah, who was the investigating officer during cross-examination by Farazwin, said she also investigated four individuals, whose names and contact numbers appeared on the four sets of documents, which were seized from the alleged premises.
Nur Dalila agreed with the counsel when put that they went to Rohani’s premises to hire her to type letters of support and declaration letters on their behalf as it was the services offered by Rohani as a typist.
Nur Dalila also agreed with the counsel that in her overall investigation, she found that based on Rohani’s statement, witnesses and all documents seized, Rohani never offered or deceived any party to convert IMM13 pass to MyPR.