IPOH: A former Kuala Lumpur Kepong Berhad (KLK) employee pleaded not guilty at the Magistrate’s Court here on Wednesday (July 8) to a charge of deceiving the company through the concealment of the actual status of crude palm oil inventory in 2024.
T. R. Logeswaran, 39, currently a palm oil mill manager in South Africa, made the plea after the charge was read out before Magistrate Norizan Riduan.
The accused was charged with dishonestly concealing the actual position of crude palm oil inventory at Berau Palm Oil Mill in Indonesia, a subsidiary of KLK.
He was alleged to have committed the offence by submitting crude palm oil production data amounting to 741.618 metric tonnes in the Summary of Production and Despatch Record (SPDR) and Finished Goods System (FGS), with the intention of causing the company to accept and adopt the stock records.
The offence was allegedly committed at Kuala Lumpur Kepong Berhad, Wisma Taiko, here between March 14, 2024 and June 21, 2024.
The charge was framed under Section 417 of the Penal Code, which stipulates a maximum imprisonment term of five years, a fine, or both upon conviction.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Zarris Sofea Zainudin requested RM10,000 bail, subject to three additional conditions, namely the surrender of the accused’s passport to the court, provides two Malaysian citizens with permanent addresses in Perak as sureties, and monthly reporting at a nearby police station until the disposal of the case.
Lawyer Kiranjeet Kaur Sidhu, representing Logeswaran, appealed against the accused’s passport being surrendered to the court, stating that he is employed in South Africa and is responsible for two children aged five and two, as well as elderly parents.
"The accused is prepared to provide a higher bail amount should the court require it, to allow his passport to be returned as it is important for him to resume work in South Africa.
"She said the prosecution’s request for the accused to report monthly could not be fulfilled as Logeswaran would be returning to Africa to continue his employment,” adding that he had given his full cooperation throughout the police investigation.
The court then allowed bail of RM10,000 with two sureties who are related to the accused, while setting Aug 6, 2026, for the submission of documents. - Bernama
