Former Fenaka Corporation procurement head Mariyam Dheena has been sentenced to one year, seven months and six days in prison for abuse of official position.
Dheena was found guilty of authorizing payments to Blazen Ink under a contract with Fenaka in 2019 before the work had been completed and without verifying that it had been carried out.
The Criminal Court held a hearing today to determine her sentence following its earlier ruling that she was guilty of the offence.
The prosecution requested the basic sentence for the crime. Although it considered the offence serious, it did not seek a heavier penalty, citing Dheena’s responsibility as the sole caregiver of young children and the fact that she had not directly benefited from the offence.
Dheena’s lawyer requested the lightest possible sentence, asking the court to impose a fine or house arrest instead of imprisonment. The lawyer cited her health problems and responsibilities as a single caregiver.
According to the defence, Dheena suffers from respiratory problems and doctors have advised her against staying in poorly ventilated environments.
However, Judge Adam Mohamed ruled that there was no medical certificate confirming that Dheena was unfit for imprisonment. He also said the offence was serious and had exposed society to harm.
The judge imposed the basic sentence requested by the prosecution.
Former Fenaka Managing Director Mohamed Saeed, who was also charged in the case, was sentenced to four years in prison a year ago. Four years is the maximum penalty for the offence.
The court had intended to sentence Dheena alongside Saeed, but her sentencing was postponed after she was admitted to hospital.
She later informed the court that she could not attend with several documents relating to her medical condition.
Dheena also faces a separate trial at the Criminal Court over allegations that a contract was improperly awarded to Keiretsu Pvt Ltd in June 2018 to install camera systems, a head office command centre and video-conferencing systems across Fenaka branches.
