Three-year jail for Uzbekistan woman who cheats HKL

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 15 -- A single mother from Uzbekistan was jailed for three years by the Magistrate’s Court here today for cheating the Kuala Lumpur Hospital by using an identity card belonging to another person to obtain treatment at the hospital for seven years.

The action of the accused, Arslanova Oksana Leonidovna, 39, came to light when she passed herself off as Kerinjeet Kaur Tharam Singh, 48, and submitted a copy of an identity card bearing the name of Kerinjeet Kaur for purpose of seeking treatment at the hospital at 10 am, on December 31, last year.

Majistret Fardiana Haryanti Ahmad Razali meted the punishment on the accused after she pleaded guilty to the charge which was read in Bahasa Melayu by a court interpreter.

Arslanova Oksana was sentenced under Section 420 of the Penal Code which provides a jail term of not less than a year and a maximum of 10 years, caning and also fine.

The woman was also jailed a month after pleading guilty to a charge of entering the country without a valid pass.

She was charged with committing the offence at the Dang Wangi district police headquarters commercial crime investigation division in Jalan Dang Wangi, here, at 2.30 pm on January 4 under Section 6 (1) (c) of the Immigrations Act 1959/63 (Amendment 2002) and was punished under Section 6(3) of the same act.

The court ordered the accused to undergo both the punishments simultaneously effective from the date of arrest on December 31 last year.

Earlier, Deputy Public Prosecutor, Hanis Anisha Jamilludin urged the court to impose a deterrent sentence in proportion to the offences as a lesson to the accused.

The accused, who was not represented, however, appealed for a light sentence as she was a single mother with four children.

-- BERNAMA