A RETIRED telecommunications company director has pleaded not guilty at the Sessions Court in Kuala Lumpur to a charge of submitting a document containing false information in connection with a project consultancy service dating back 14 years.
Wong Chee Keong, 73, a former government officer, is accused of submitting a declaration form dated Aug 13, 2012, containing false particulars to an assistant manager in the Technical Services Division of Bank Pembangunan Malaysia Berhad, with the intention of misleading his principal.
The alleged offence took place at the bank’s Menara Bank Pembangunan office in Bandar Wawasan on Sept 13, 2012.
He was charged under Section 18 of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2009, punishable under Section 24(2), which carries a maximum prison term of 20 years and a fine of not less than five times the value of the gratification or RM10,000, whichever is higher, upon conviction.
Deputy public prosecutor Vivien Yeap Jie Xi proposed bail of RM20,000 with two Malaysian sureties, alongside conditions requiring the accused to surrender his passport and report monthly to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission.
Defence counsel Muhammad Hafizuddin Salehuddin did not oppose the bail amount but objected to the passport surrender, citing the accused’s personal circumstances.
“My client is a retired government officer who now resides in Melbourne with his 76-year-old wife. His wife is in poor health, suffering from chronic spinal disease, nerve pain in both legs, severe sleep disorder, kidney problems, cataracts and diabetes.
“If my client is not required to surrender his passport, it would allow him to return to Melbourne to visit his wife. He is not a flight risk and has given full cooperation throughout the MACC investigation,” he said.
However, the prosecution argued that as the accused is a permanent resident of Australia and therefore poses a flight risk, surrendering his passport would not deny his liberty as he could still apply to travel when necessary.
Judge Mohd Kafli Che Ali granted bail at RM20,000 with two Malaysian sureties but allowed the accused to retain his passport. The court instead ordered him to report to the MACC office once every two months.
The case has been fixed for mention on June 29. - April 27, 2026
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