Nasi lemak seller fined RM50,000 for organising 'kootu' fund

BUTTERWORTH: A nasi lemak seller was fined RM50,000 by the Sessions Court here today for organising a 'kootu' (tontine) fund through Facebook.

Judge Norhayati Mohamad Yunus meted out the sentence against Nor Jaimah Kamarudin, 38, after she pleaded guilty to the charges.

The court ordered the woman to be jailed for 12 months if she failed to pay the fine. She paid the fine.

Nor Jaimah allegedly organised a kootu fund for five individuals where they were required to contribute cash to the group.

She was accused of committing the act at her house in Kubang Semang, Bukit Mertajam here between January and August 2018 under Section 3 (1) of the Kootu Funds (Prohibition) Act 1971 (Act 28) which provides for a fine of up to RM500,000 or imprisonment for a maximum of 10 years, or both.

Earlier, lawyer Shamsher Singh Thind, who represented Nor Jaimah, appealed for a lenient sentence as his client ran a roadside nasi lemak stall and this was her first offense.

Companies Commission of Malaysia prosecuting officer Mohd Iqbal Mohd Yusoff asked the court to impose an appropriate sentence to serve as a lesson to both the accused and the public from getting involved in the activity.

He said the offence committed was serious as it was not a traditional form of kootu.

According to the facts of the case, the woman had used her bank account for the purpose of receiving and paying the proceeds of the kootu fund collected from the group participants from January to August 2018.

Outside the court, Mohd Iqbal told reporters that the money involved in the case exceeded RM100,000.

-- BERNAMA