JOHOR BARU: A former sales executive of a property developer was charged at the Sessions Court here on five counts of criminal breach of trust involving more than RM1mil in company sales proceeds.
Rafidah Abdul Hamid, 48, pleaded not guilty after the charges were read before judge Datuk Che Wan Zaidi Che Wan Ibrahim here on Tuesday (April 7).
According to the charges, she allegedly misappropriated funds amounting to between RM73,000 and RM317,610 for her own use.
The single mother of three was accused of committing the offences at the first floor of a building along Jalan Ibrahim here between May 30, 2022, and Oct 15 last year.
She was charged under Section 408 of the Penal Code, which provides for a jail term of between one and 14 years, with whipping, and may also include a fine, upon conviction.
Deputy public prosecutor Siti Fatimah Mamu appeared for the prosecution, while the accused was unrepresented.
Based on the case facts, a 63-year-old company manager lodged a police report on March 31 after receiving a call from a law firm regarding a sale and purchase agreement involving two individuals.
An internal review later found no official record of the transaction in the company’s system or accounts.
Further investigations revealed that the accused, who had been employed since 2021, allegedly received a sum of money from a buyer in January 2024, but failed to hand it over to the accounts department or deposit it into the company’s official account.
She was also alleged to have forged the signature of a company officer on documents prepared by a law firm to complete the transaction.
In addition, she is believed to have used a similar modus operandi to receive money from another individual in the same year.
The company only discovered the matter after receiving inquiries from the law firm before lodging a police report.
Che Wan Zaidi allowed bail at RM45,000 with one surety, and ordered the accused to report to a nearby police station once a month, surrender her passport, and refrain from disturbing prosecution witnesses.
He then set May 6 for the case mention.
