Fadley Faisal

A Malaysian man was sentenced to eight months’ imprisonment by the Magistrate’s Court yesterday, on two charges of stealing money from his employer.

Chang Teck Peng, 52, had earlier pleaded for leniency and a non-custodial punishment, as he has no one else to look after his 81-year-old father and 74-year-old mother in his hometown of Sibu.

Speaking through a court interpreter in Mandarin, the defendant said that he had set up the company without any involvement from the owners, who had only invested in it.

He also said that a verbal contract had been made where the owners would pay him a commission, but on failing to receive any payment, he stole the money and sent it to his parents in Sibu.

The defendant also said that he actually intended to use the money and have some deductions made to his commission.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Syazwani binti Jumat also provided Magistrate Kamaliah Fadhilah binti Haji Ibrahim with the details of how Chang had committed the offences.

On August 17, the defendant, a car air-conditioner specialist at the Manria Sdn Bhd workshop, pocketed BND50 which a customer had paid him for car repairs.

On August 21, the defendant pocketed BND760 as the sum of payment for repairs on another car.

No receipts were issued to the customers in both instances.

Meanwhile, the workshop owners found shortfalls in their accounts and proceeded to check footage from CCTVs installed at the premises.

This led to a police report and the defendant’s arrest.