Kota Kinabalu: A 26-year-old woman was fined RM10,000 or sentenced to one year in prison for failing to explain a RM5,000 transaction in her bank account.
Sessions Court Judge Hurman Hussain handed down the sentence to Siti Saadiah Muhuddin, who pleaded guilty when her case was brought up for facts and sentencing on Friday.
The offence occurred on March 19, 2025, when RM5,000 was deposited into her CIMB bank account. The transaction took place at a house in Taman Sepanggar.
Siti Saadiah was charged under Section 424C(1) of the Penal Code, which applies to individuals who use their own payment instruments or bank accounts for transactions without a legitimate purpose.
Upon conviction, the offence carries a prison term of three to 10 years, or a fine between RM10,000 and RM150,000, or both.
In mitigation, Siti Saadiah, who was unrepresented, pleaded for a lenient sentence and requested to pay the fine in instalments.
She told the court she had lost her ATM card in March 2024 but had never reported it.
She explained that the CIMB account was originally used for her online business, which had ceased operations before the card went missing.
She also told the court she owns another account with Maybank.
However, Deputy Public Prosecutor Fazriel Fardiansyah Abdul Kadir urged the court to impose a deterrent sentence, citing public interest and the seriousness of the offence.
He said a strong penalty would send a clear message that such offences will not be tolerated.
