Court date: Abu Sahid (in wheelchair) arriving at the Sessions Court in Shah Alam. — KK SHAM/The Star
Maju Holdings’ man, ex-director plead not guilty over corruption in MEX II project
SHAH ALAM: Maju Holdings Sdn Bhd director Tan Sri Abu Sahid Mohamed (pic) and a former construction company director, Datuk Yap Wee Leong, have pleaded not guilty to a total of 19 charges involving RM754.6mil in the Sessions Court here.
The charges include criminal breach of trust (CBT), false claims and money laundering, all allegedly linked to the proposed MEX II Highway project.
Both men entered their pleas before judge Mohd Nasir Nordin yesterday after the charges were read out separately in court, Bernama reported.
Abu Sahid, 74, was charged with CBT for misappropriating RM145.5mil entrusted to him in his capacity as Maju Holdings director.
The funds were reportedly transferred to a construction company between Jan 12 and June 13, 2018.
The charge under Section 409 of the Penal Code carries a maximum jail term of 20 years, whipping and a fine, upon conviction.
Yap, 68, claimed trial to 18 charges, nine of which were for false claims and another nine for money laundering.
For the false claims, he is accused of submitting nine fraudulent progress claims amounting to RM220.7mil at a bank branch in Petaling between Nov 9, 2017 and June 26, 2018.
The claims, valued at between RM16mil and RM28mil each, allegedly involved pre-construction works that were never carried out.
For these offences, he was charged under Section 18 of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009.
It is punishable by up to 20 years in prison and a fine of not less than five times the value of the false claims or RM10,000, whichever is higher, if convicted.
Yap is also accused of laundering RM388.3mil via nine transactions by transferring sums ranging from RM18mil to RM75mil, using both company and personal bank accounts, between June 21, 2017 and Aug 3, 2018 at a bank branch in Country Heights, Kajang.
These charges fall under Section 4(1)(b) of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001 (Act 613).
It is punishable by a maximum 15-year prison sentence and fines of not less than five times the amount laundered or RM5mil, whichever is higher, upon conviction.
MACC deputy public prosecutor Datuk Ahmad Akram Gharib requested that the current charges be transferred to the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court and to be jointly tried with a related case scheduled for mention on Nov 3.
The prosecution also pressed for bail to be maintained as per the Kuala Lumpur court’s earlier decision, which is RM1.5mil for Abu Sahid and RM1mil for Yap, with their passports to be surrendered to the court.
Lawyers Datuk Hisyam Teh Poh Teik who acted for Abu Sahid, and Abdul Hakeem Aiman, representing Yap, did not object.
The court approved the prosecution’s requests.
