By Dorcas Ting
KUCHING, Aug 3: What began with the disappearance of hundreds of cartons of cooking oil from a Jalan Bako factory has landed one employee in jail and another in court over alleged thefts worth nearly RM464,000.
A 59-year-old lorry driver was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment today after pleading guilty to abetting the theft of RM32,453.52 worth of cooking oil from the factory where he worked.
Lai Min Kong pleaded guilty before Senior Assistant Registrar Jessica Lee Suk Kiun, sitting as Magistrate, to abetting the theft of company property.
He was charged under Section 109 read together with Section 381 of the Penal Code, which provides for a maximum sentence of seven years’ imprisonment and a fine upon conviction.
The court heard that Lai had worked with a 27-year-old general labourer at the same cooking oil processing factory to remove 357 packs of cooking oil in various sizes, weighing a combined 1,357kg and valued at RM32,453.52.
The theft allegedly took place at about 6.35am on July 29 at the factory in Jalan Bako, Sungai Jenang.
According to the prosecution, the company discovered that 250 cartons of five-kilogram cooking oil and 107 cartons of one-kilogram cooking oil were missing before lodging a police report.
Lai was arrested the following day at about 11am outside a premises along Jalan Datuk Abang Abdul Rahim. Police investigations later found that he had assisted the factory worker in carrying out the theft.
Meanwhile, the alleged accomplice claimed trial in a separate Magistrate’s Court today to 14 counts of theft involving cooking oil, sugar and margarine from the same employer.
The 27-year-old general labourer is accused of stealing goods worth approximately RM463,964.32 in 14 separate incidents between March 14 and July 29 this year.
The alleged offences were said to have taken place between 6.28am and 7am at the same factory in Jalan Bako, Sungai Jenang.
After recording his not guilty plea, the court allowed bail of RM3,000 without deposit, with two local sureties each earning at least RM2,000 a month.
He was also ordered to surrender his passport to the court and report to the nearest police station once a month until the case is concluded.
The prosecution was conducted separately by Deputy Public Prosecutors Ahmad Fauzulutfi Suriani and Nurul Aqila Morsalin.
Lai was unrepresented, while the 27-year-old was represented by lawyer Ralph Lee. — DayakDaily
