KUALA LUMPUR: A warrant of arrest has been issued for a couple facing multiple charges over the theft of money from the bank accounts of three passengers and a flight steward aboard the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370.
Sessions Court judge Norsharidah Awang granted an application by DPP Ahmad Fadhli Mahmud for the arrest warrant after the two failed to turn up to answer the charges.
Bank officer Nur Shila Kanan and her mechanic husband Basheer Ahmad Maula Sahul Hameed, both 34, are accused of making illegal transfers and withdrawals from the accounts amounting to RM110,643.
They claimed trial to the charges on Aug 20 last year.
Ahmad Fadhli told the judge that the two bailors for the accused also did not appear in court to explain their absence.
The court then issued the bailors a show-cause notice. It set Feb 4 for mention.
Nur Shila faces 12 principal charges in relation to transferring cash from the HSBC accounts to another bank account, theft, cheating to getting approval for a debit card and a new Internet banking application as well as using forged documents at the HSBC branch in Jalan Lebuh Ampang from May 14 to July 14 last year.
Basheer faces four main charges of allegedly using a debit card and an ATM card to withdraw cash from the bank accounts.
He is said to have committed the offences at the bank's ATM at Ampang Point between May 15 and June 29 last year.
Both accused face four alternative charges of stealing cash from the HSBC accounts.
The cash was reported missing from the accounts of two Chinese passengers, Ju Kun and Tian Jun Wei, and two Malaysians, Hue Pui Peng and flight steward Tan Size Hiang.
HSBC was reported to have notified the police of potential fraud involving those accounts, leading to the couple’s arrest.
The judge had released the two on a RM12,000 bail in one surety each and impounded their passports.
