KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 5 — A woman with 12 children was sentenced to four years in jail for falsely claiming three other children as her own to obtain identity cards for them.
The woman, Kartinadari Amai, 56, attempted to register three children born a few months apart in 1999 as her biological children, The Star reported today.
She was sentenced to two years for each of the offences by the Tawau Magistrate’s Court, with both sentences running consecutively.
Kartinadari pleaded guilty to the charges before Magistrate Don Stiwin Malanjum.
In the first charge, Kartinadari falsely registered Mohd Hafik Julal as her son at the Tawau National Registration Department (NRD) office on March 11, 2011.
The second charge involved a similar act on November 16, 2012, when she registered an identity card for Hasnani Julal.
Kartinadari was charged under Regulation 25(1)(b) of the National Registration Regulations 1990 (Amended 2007), which carries a penalty of up to three years in prison, a fine of up to RM20,000, or both.
During a system review on January 16, 2023, the Tawau NRD discovered that Kartinadari had allegedly claimed to have given birth to three children in 1999 — Mohd Hafik on March 2, Hasnani on May 14, and Merna on June 8.
Further checks revealed that identity cards had been issued to Mohd Hafik and Hasnani, but not to Merna.
Kartinadari’s biological children confirmed that these three were not their siblings and that they did not know their real parents.
NRD prosecuting officer Mohd Naser Mohd Nadzeri called for a strong sentence, saying her actions significantly undermine the integrity of the legal system.
He argued that Kartinadari had granted undocumented migrants access to benefits reserved for Malaysian citizens.
Kartinadari was represented by counsel Jhasarry P. Kang from the National Legal Aid Foundation. She has 12 biological children, including eight sons and four daughters, from her marriage to Julal Johor in 1981.
