KOTA KINABALU – Five civil servants attached to the Sabah Town and Regional Planning Department pleaded not guilty at the special corruption court here today to charges of making false claims amounting to RM61,500.
The accused are identified in court documents as Rozidah Samudin, 52; Myron Masing, 40; Alif Abdul Fatah, 35; Mohd Effendi Awang Damit, 31; and Ady Said, 38.
The false claims were made for the delivery of goods in various districts, and the charges are made under provisions of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act (MACC) 2009.
Rozidah faces two charges, while the other four men face one charge each.
Additionally, Ady faced five charges of abetting the other four accused in committing the offence.
According to the charges, Rozidah allegedly submitted receipts from a transport company for the delivery of household goods and vehicles related to her official duty but the services were never provided.
The alleged offence took place at the department’s office on October 2, 2017, with an amount of RM17,100, and on September 5, 2019, with an amount of RM17,000.
Myron and Effendi were each accused of committing a similar offence on September 8, 2020, involving RM6,250, while Alif was accused of committing the same offence on August 23, 2019, involving RM8,480.
In Ady's case, the first charge states that he allegedly committed the same offence involving RM6,450 on September 8, 2020.
For the second to sixth charges, Ady was accused of abetting Rozidah, Myron, Alif, and Effendi in making their respective false claims between 2017 and 2020.
Each of the accused was granted bail between RM10,000 and RM15,000, with a deposit between RM3,000 and RM4,000 under a local surety.
They were also ordered to report to the MACC office once every two months and were made to surrender their passports to the court, and refrain from harassing any prosecution witnesses pending the disposal of the case.
Hearing for all the accused has been fixed for August 15.
Prosecuting officers Dzulkarnain Rousan Hasbi and Rekhraj Singh appeared for MACC.
Rozidah was represented by counsel Mohd Luqman Syazwan Zabidi Md Zain, while Alif was represented by counsel Yannik Mohd Anuar and Lim Chun Yuan. – The Vibes, July 18, 2023
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