JOHOR BAHRU, March 30 (Bernama) — A staff member of the Farmers’ Organisation Authority (LPP) was charged in the Sessions Court here with 16 counts of dishonestly misappropriating property worth RM141,872.67 belonging to the Kota Tinggi Timur Area Farmers’ Organisation, over five years.
Muhammad Faiz Ibrahim, 36, an assistant economic affairs officer, pleaded not guilty after the charges were read before Judge Datuk Ahmad Kamal Arifin Ismail.
The accused, who also served as the organisation's farm manager, is alleged to have dishonestly converted oil palm fresh fruit bunches valued at RM141,872.67 for his own use.
He was charged under Section 403 of the Penal Code, which provides for imprisonment of not less than six months and up to five years, and may also include caning and a fine upon conviction.
He also pleaded not guilty to 16 alternative charges of criminal breach of trust, namely for misappropriating the entrusted oil palm fresh fruit bunches by selling them and depositing the proceeds into his account.
He was charged with criminal breach of trust under Section 406 of the Penal Code, which provides for imprisonment of up to 10 years and may also include caning and a fine upon conviction.
All the offences are alleged to have been committed between April 22, 2021, and Nov 15, 2022, at the Kota Tinggi Timur Area Farmers’ Organisation, Pusat Kemajuan Peladang Mawai Baru, in Kota Tinggi.
At the proceedings, Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) prosecuting officer Alice Voon Mei Ling proposed bail at RM25,000 with one surety for all charges.
However, the accused’s lawyer, Asiah Abd Jalil, applied for a reduction, submitting that her client, who has served the LPP for 15 years, earns a monthly salary of RM4,000 and had cooperated fully with the authorities since investigations commenced in November 2024.
Asiah added that the accused, who is single and the sixth of seven siblings, bears financial responsibility for his retired parents.
She also informed the court that the accused has since been transferred to another branch and that the proceedings may result in his salary being withheld.
The court allowed bail at RM10,000 with one surety and fixed April 30 for submission of documents.
— BERNAMA
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