An assistant officer of the Selayang Federal Agriculture Marketing Authority (Fama) was sentenced to a month's jail and fined RM10,000 in default three months' jail for submitting false claims regarding the cost of accommodation and seminar at a hotel, eight years ago.

Judge Mat Ghani Abdullah meted out the sentence on Rosli Kasmuni, 48, after ruling that the defence had failed to raise reasonable doubt on the prosecution's case.

Mat Ghani, however, allowed Rosli's appeal for a stay of the jail sentence pending appeal.

He also gave Rosli until Jan 31 to pay the fine.

Rosli was found guilty of submitting documents to Fama assistant administrative officer Muhammad Amin Yahya Zikri containing the claims for the cost of accommodation and seminar in conjunction with the agency's executive union annual general meeting from Jan 20-30, 2003 at Hotel Brisdale, amounting to RM6,100 when the actual cost was RM4,895.

He committed the offence at the Bandar Baru Selayang Fama headquarters in Batu Caves between July 29 and Aug 20, 2003.

Seventeen prosecution witnesses and two defence witnesses were called during the trial.

The prosecution was carried out by the deputy public prosecutor of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, Mohd Baharuddin Mohd Kassim, while the accused was represented by Edmund Ponniah.

- Bernama