UiTM professor fined RM20,000 for false research claims
Published on: Thursday, June 19, 2025
Published on: Thu, Jun 19, 2025 Text Size: SHAH ALAM: A professor from Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) was fined RM20,000 by the Sessions Court on Tuesday after pleading guilty to submitting false salary claims for non-existent research work in 2021, the New Straits Times reported. Prof Datin Dr Hapizah Md Nawawi, 65, changed her plea to guilty on six alternative charges and was sentenced by Judge Datuk Mohd Nasir Nordin.
Advertisement The court ordered 21 months' imprisonment in default of payment, but she paid the fine. Hapizah admitted to conspiring with Amirah Mohd Ariff to falsify documents for RM14,000 in salary claims for research work never carried out. The claims were linked to a project titled Mechanism of Drone-assisted Technology on Efficiency of Mass Disaster Victim Identification, conducted between April and October 2021. Twelve other alternative charges were taken into consideration under Section 171A of the Criminal Procedure Code.
Advertisement The charges were framed under Section 109 of the Penal Code read with Section 471 and punishable under Section 465, which provides for up to two years' jail, a fine, or both. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available.
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