Former CEO of Melaka govt-owned company charged with submitting false details

MELAKA: A former chief executive officer (CEO) of a state-owned agriculture development company has been charged at Sessions Court here with submitting false details on the disposal of two official vehicles.

The accused Muhammad Muhaimin Lau Abdullah, 46, pleaded not guilty when the two charges were read to him before Judge Elesabet Paya Wan on Friday (Nov 3).

In the first charge under Section 18 of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2009, the accused was charged with intending to deceive his principal by using the content of a letter on the valuation report on two vehicles owned by the company.

The letter contained the valuation prices of a Toyota Fortuner 4WD at RM36,000 and RM20,000 for a Toyota Hilux.

The letter allegedly contained false information on the disposal process and the change of ownership of the two vehicles to the accused, who was at the material time the CEO and chairman of the state-owned company.

He had allegedly committed the offence in April 2021 at the company’s office when the actual valuation by the Public Works Department for the two vehicles was priced at RM50,000 for the Toyota Fortuner and RM35,000 for the Toyota Hilux.

Under the Section, the accused could face a jail term of not more than 20 years and a fine of not less than five times the sum or value of the false or erroneous or defective material particular, where such false or erroneous or defective material particular is capable of being valued, or of a pecuniary nature, or RM10,000, whichever is the higher, upon conviction.

On an alternative charge, the accused was alleged to have dishonestly submitted a falsified document on the process of disposing the official vehicles.

The offence falls under Section 471 of the Penal Code, punishable under Section 465 of the same act, which carries a jail term of up to two years or a fine or both, upon conviction.

MACC officer Mohamad Azriff Firdaus Mohamad Ali appeared as the prosecuting officer while the accused was represented by lawyer Azrul Zulkifli Stork.

The court granted bail of RM10,000 and ordered the accused to report to the MACC office in Alai here at the beginning of every month until the end of the proceedings of his case.

The court also fixed Dec 11 as the next mention date.