Jail and rotan for businessman who tricked director into paying over RM360,000 for AED supply

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 18 — A businessman was sentenced to 14 months’ imprisonment and one stroke of the cane by the Sessions Court here today after pleading guilty to cheating a company director over a project to supply automated external defibrillator (AED) units.

Judge Azrul Darus ordered Datuk Seri Azraie Jamaludin, 49, to serve the sentence from today.

Azraie, together with another person still at large, was charged with deceiving Lim Wei Xiang, 35, into believing that he had the capacity to secure an AED supply project, which prompted Lim to deposit RM361,150 into the ZAJ Empire Resource bank account belonging to the accused.

The offence was committed at a golf club here between Aug 12 and Oct 22, 2024, under Section 420 of the Penal Code, which provides for imprisonment of between one and 10 years, whipping and a fine, upon conviction.

According to the facts of the case, the complainant was introduced to the accused by an acquaintance who told him that Azraie had connections with several government agencies and was able to secure a RM5 million project to supply AED units for the Health Ministry.

Convinced by the offer, the complainant subsequently handed over the money by depositing it into the accused’s bank account.

Earlier, Deputy Public Prosecutor Muhammad Zul Hilmi Latif sought an appropriate sentence as a deterrent, taking into consideration the victim’s losses.

Azraie, who was unrepresented, appealed for a lenient sentence, saying that he was supporting his family and suffered from a heart condition requiring follow-up treatment. — Bernama