Rohaida (centre) pleaded guilty in two separate courts to 53 counts of cheating.
KUALA LUMPUR: A 41-year-old woman who impersonated a Pahang princess was ordered to serve three years and two months in jail by the Ampang magistrate's court here on Tuesday for swindling more than RM1mil from a cosmetic surgeon three years ago.
Rohaida Yahlil pleaded guilty in two separate courts to 53 counts of cheating 60-year-old Datuk Dr Abdul Jalil Jidon by deceiving him into believing that she was the daughter of the Sultan of Pahang, Sultan Ahmad Shah, which prompted him to hand over cash totalling RM1.203mil to her.
In the first court, Magistrate Mohamad Firdaus Sadina Ali sentenced Rohaida to three years and two months' jail for 34 counts of cheating while in another court, Magistrate Mohamad Izwan Mohamed Noh sentenced her to a three year jail term for another 19 cheating offences.
Both courts ordered the insurance executive to serve the jail sentences concurrently from the date of her arrest on March 13.
Rohaida was charged with cheating Dr Abdul Jalil by deceiving the victim into believing that she was Her Royal Highness Tengku Aishah Sultan Ahmad Shah which prompted the victim to hand over the money through cheques which were to be deposited into a Maybank account belonging to her friend, Khuzairiah Abdul Latiff.
She claimed that the money was meant to pay tax to Bank Negara to enable a sum of money to be transferred from abroad and also for the personal use of the Sultan of Pahang.
In mitigation, Rohaida wailed while telling the court that she committed the offences because she wanted to continue to be accepted by her friends.
"This money was to be spent on my friends so that I can get close to them, because (without the money) they won't accept me. When I have the money, they will always be by my side," she choked as she pleaded for leniency.
Deputy public prosecutors Ahmad Zuhaini Mahamad Amin and Raihanah Abdul Razak pressed for just punishment to serve as lesson to the accused by taking into account that she had committed serious offences while using the name of a Malay ruler.
"A fraudulent act involving a professional (victim) as well as the Sultan of Pahang, is a very serious crime. The accused's action of using the name of the Pahang Sultan to earn money and to spend it on friends was inappropriate," Ahmad Zuhaini said to Rohaida, who was unrepresented.
According to the facts of the case, in June 2013, the victim received a phone call from the accused who introduced herself as Tengku Aishah and persuaded him to deposit money for the use of the Pahang Sultan.
The accused said that the Sultan would repay the money in the very near future which prompted the victim to bank in the money into a Maybank account belonging to a friend of the accused.
However, the victim began to suspect something amiss after his money was not being repaid as promised.
Earlier, in the Sessions Court, Rohaida also pleaded guilty to eight counts of involvement in money laundering involving RM2,841,690.
Judge Rushan Lutfi Hakim Mohamed allowed her bail of RM300,000 with one surety for all the charges and ordered her passport to be surrendered to the court.
The court fixed April 3 for sentencing. - Bernama
Read more at http://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2017/03/14/woman-who-impersonates-pahang-princess-jailed-for-53-cheating-offences/#2XRdQegiGe0sZvfy.99
