School principal goes to jail after losing appeal against conviction for abusing position

PUTRAJAYA: A secondary school principal was sent to jail for three months after she lost her final appeal today in the Court of Appeal to set aside her conviction on three charges of abusing her position involving RM6,591.65.

A three-member bench comprising Justices Datuk Hanipah Farikullah, Datuk M. Gunalan and Datuk Hashim Hamzah dismissed Norliza Mat Radzi's appeal against her conviction, three months' jail sentence and RM40,500 fine which were imposed on her by the Shah Alam Sessions Court in 2017.

Justice Hanipah, who chaired the bench, said the jail term of three months imposed on Norliza was not excessive considering that the maximum jail term for the offence is 20 years' jail.

Norliza, 53, who was on bail pending her appeal, was ordered to begin her jail sentence today.

In July 2017, the Shah Alam Sessions Court meted out the jail sentence and fine after finding Norliza guilty on three charges of abusing her position by choosing her company Orean Collection to supply teaching aids, hand towels, hamper packages, file sets, stationery and medals for school activities to the school.

She committed the offences at the school in Port Klang in Klang, Selangor, between Feb 12 and April 13, 2016.

Norliza lost her appeal in the High Court which upheld the Sessions Court's decision.

Norliza was sentenced to three months' jail and fined RM10,500 in default three months' jail after she was found guilty by the Sessions Court on the first charge of choosing Orean Collection to be the supplier for teaching aids worth RM2,091.65 to the school.

For the second charge of committing a similar offence involving hand towels for a school programme worth RM500, she was also sentenced to three months' jail and fined RM10,000 in default one month's jail.

Norliza was sentenced to three months' jail and fined RM20,000 in default six months' jail after she was convicted on the third charge of a similar offence involving hamper packages, file sets, stationery and medals amounting to RM4,000.

The Sessions Court had ordered her to serve the jail sentences concurrently. Norliza paid the fine.

Norliza was represented by lawyer Anwar Ab Raof while deputy public prosecutor Zaki Asyraf Zubir appeared for the prosecution.

-- BERNAMA