KUALA LUMPUR, May 21 — A former bank officer was sentenced to six years’ jail by the Sessions Court here today for stealing RM77,530 from the savings accounts of three passengers of the missing Malaysia Airlines (MAS) Flight MH370.

Judge Norsharidah Awang handed down the sentence on Nur Shila Kanan, 34, who pleaded guilty to 12 charges, including six counts of stealing money belonging to two passengers and a crew.

She was also charged with three counts of using fake documents as genuine, two counts of cheating a bank supervisor and one count of using fake forms.

She was sentenced to between 10 months and six years’ jail for each count totalling 28 years and four months.

However, she was ordered to serve the jail sentences concurrently, beginning today.

When passing sentence, Norsharidah said it could serve as a lesson to others as Nur Shila’s action had tarnished the image of financial institutions and the country.

The judge said the mother of three could count herself lucky as she was spared the rotan.

Nur Shila, who was wearing green kurti, appeared calm after the sentence.

Before the court handed down the sentence, Nur Shila, who was unrepresented, told the court she was still breastfeeding her third child, while admitting her guilt and apologised for her action.

She was charged with stealing RM75,000 from a Malaysian passenger, Hue Pui Heng and RM2,530 from the accounts of Chinese national Ju Kun and flight steward Tan Size Hiang.

She committed the offences at the HSBC Amanah ATM, Ampang Point, Ampang here between 10.02am on May 15 and 11.28pm on June 29 last year.

Yesterday, her husband, Basheer Ahmad Maula Sahul Hameed, 34, was sentenced to four years’ jail and ordered to be given three strokes of the rotan for stealing RM7,650 from the account of a passenger of the same missing flight. — Bernama