By Dorcas Ting
KUCHING, Dec 17: A former post office clerk was sentenced to 22 years’ imprisonment and 24 strokes of the cane by the Sessions Court today after admitting to misappropriating investment funds belonging to elderly customers in Lundu last year.
The 35-year-old pleaded guilty to 52 charges of criminal breach of trust before Sessions Court judge Iris Awen Jon.
The offences, committed under Section 408 of the Penal Code, carry a jail term of one to 14 years and mandatory whipping upon conviction.
According to the court, the offences occurred over a one-year period from January 2024 to January 2025 at a Lundu post office. Taking into account all 52 charges, judge Iris imposed a cumulative sentence of 22 years’ imprisonment and 24 strokes of the cane.
In a separate proceeding before Sessions Court judge Noorhisham Mohd Jaafar, the accused also pleaded guilty to 48 additional charges under the same provision. Sentencing for these cases has been fixed for Jan 20, 2026.
The accused, meanwhile, has claimed trial to another 99 similar charges. Sessions Court judge Musli Abdul Hamid scheduled case management for 51 of these charges on Jan 22, 2026, while judge Jason Juga set Jan 26, 2026 for the remaining 48 charges.
In total, the accused faces 199 charges involving the alleged misappropriation of RM654,300 in investors’ funds, affecting 12 elderly victims.
The investigation was launched after the post office reported suspected misconduct by one of its counter staff. Officers from the Sarawak Retail Unit were tasked with reviewing transaction records at the Lundu branch for the period between January 2024 and January 2025.
The audit revealed a series of irregular transactions involving customers aged 50 to over 80 years. Investigators found multiple cash withdrawals, ranging from RM500 to RM5,000 per transaction, had been processed under the accused’s name.
Closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage showed that the withdrawals were carried out by the accused without the account holders present. Investigators confirmed that he exploited his authorised access as a counter clerk to process the withdrawals without verification from the victims.
A subsequent audit report confirmed 199 unauthorised withdrawal transactions, resulting in losses of RM654,300 suffered by 12 elderly customers.
The prosecution in all cases was conducted by Deputy Public Prosecutors Mohamad Aiman Mutallib Mohamad Shariff, Ruvinasini Pandian, Adriana Maisarah Mohd Farid, and Asmawi Nur Haqim Mokhtar. — DayakDaily
