Kota Kinabalu: A 40-year-old farmer who used his dead daughter’s birth certificate to apply for a MyKad for an illegal immigrant, was fined RM4,000 in default 10 months’ jail. Magistrate Stephanie Sherron Abbie meted out the sentence to Justin Popolong who pleaded guilty, Friday.
Justin had given the fake details while being a surety in applying for the first MyKad bearing serial number 100921-12-2044 under the name of Farhana Justin at 8.54am on Feb 28, this year at the Identity Card Division of the National Registration Department (NRD).
National Registration Regulations 1990 provides for a jail term of up to three years, or fine of up to RM20,000, or both, upon conviction.
During mitigation, counsel Lawrence Lim, asked for leniency saying it was Justin’s first offence and that he is disabled.
Lim informed the court that Justin was the breadwinner of his family and has four children to look after.
According to Lim, Justin was not getting any remuneration from what he had done.
However, Deputy Public Prosecutor Nurul Shafeerah Mad Iskim urged the court to impose an appropriate sentence on the grounds that it was a serious offence as Justin tried to apply for the MyKad to an illegal immigrant.
She submitted that Justin had used a birth certificate belonging to his daughter whose death was not reported.
Nurul added that if the application of the document was successful, the person will enjoy the rights and privileges as a Malaysian citizen.
She also informed the court that Justin’s act had given a negative impact and affected the administration, economy, security and sovereignty of the country.
The court heard that Justin had tried to apply for the MyKad to the person and introduced himself as the father.
However, the NRD officer suspected that the person was not Justin’s biological children as their faces were not similar and the applicant age (13-year-old) was doubtful.
The person who applied for an identity card in the name of Farhana Justin has admitted that her real name was Puteri and not Justin’s biological child.
Puteri’s adoptive parents also confirmed that.
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