Datuk, brother acquitted, discharged of making false claims over RM1.5mil to supply cooking oil

KUALA LUMPUR: Two brothers who own a subsidised cooking oil packaging company were acquitted and discharged on 52 charges of submitting false claims in connection to supplying cooking oil to retail outlets amounting to over RM1.5mil.

Earlier, Datuk Mohd Farid Mohamad, Ali, 44, and his brother, Mohd Fadhil, 40, were given a discharge not amounting to an acquittal on all charges.

High Court Judge Datuk Noorin Badaruddin on Wednesday (May 10) made the ruling after the prosecution did not object to their application to be acquitted and discharged.

Earlier, lawyer Datuk Seri Dr Jahaberdeen Mohamed Yunoos, representing the brothers, said they made an application so that his clients can be discharged and acquitted of all charges.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Rasyidah Murni Adzmi said she had no objection to the application after examining all the documents from the applicants and both of them had paid their compounds.

On June 20, 2022, the two brothers were given a discharge not amounting to an acquittal (DNAA) by the Sessions Court here on all charges.

Mohd Farid and his brother then filed an application in the High Court for the discharge and acquittal of all charges.

According to the first to 52nd charges, Mohd Farid was accused of providing a document, namely the statement of claims for payment of financial assistance to pure palm cooking oil refinery/packaging factories containing false material details for the period between January 2019 and March 2020 amounting to a total of RM1,596,341.40, to three employees of the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry (KPDNHEP).

The claims contained false material details, namely information on the sale of cooking oil to retail companies, although the accused knew the sale was not actually made.

Mohd Fadhil, meanwhile, was charged with 52 counts of abetting Mohd Farid to commit the same offence at the same time and place under Section 18 of the MACC Act 2009 read together with Section 28(1)(c) of the same act, which carries the same sentence upon conviction.- Bernama