KUALA LUMPUR: A businessman with a Datuk title was charged at the Sessions Court with making RM625,625 worth false claims involving the Malaysian Indian Transformation Unit (Mitra) funds last year.
B. Reghu, 61, pleaded not guilty to 35 counts of the offence when the charges were read to him before judge Azura Alwi today.
He is accused of submitting the false documents to Mitra assistant director R. Kavithah at its office in Putrajaya on May 5 last year.
The offence falls under Section 18 of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009 which carries a jail term of up to 20 years and a fine of not less than five times the sum involved.
The director of QCDMS Eraminda Consultant Sdn Bhd was also charged with 23 alternative counts of cheating involving RM100,625.
He claimed trial to these offences as well.
He was charged under Section 417 of the Penal Code which carries five years imprisonment or a fine or both upon conviction.
Deputy public prosecutor Mohd Afif Ali asked the court to impose RM50,000 bail against the accused.
The accused represented by lawyer Ariff Firman Mohd Sidek pleaded for minimum bail of RM10,000.
The court later set RM25,000 bail with one surety and fixed March 23 for mention.
It was reported that 22 individuals were detained by the MACC in operations carried out in seven states on Jan 20 to assist in the investigations into the misappropriation of funds from Mitra.
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