JKR ARCHITECT CLAIMS TRIAL TO SUBMITTING FALSE TRAVEL ALLOWANCE CLAIMS

ALOR SETAR, Jan 26 (Bernama) -- A supervising architect of the Kedah Public Works Department (JKR) pleaded not guilty today at the Sessions Court here to two counts of submitting false travel allowance claims two years ago.

Suhaili Othman, 55, entered his plea after the charges were read out before Judge N. Priscilla Hemamalini.

On the first count, the accused, acting as a Kedah JKR agent, was charged with intentionally deceiving the department by submitting a travel allowance claim of RM894.50 to attend a meeting in Melaka in June 2024, falsely stating that he had used his own vehicle instead of a project vehicle.

For the second count, Suhaili was accused of deceiving the Kedah JKR by submitting a travel allowance claim of RM600 to attend a discussion session with the director of the Corporate Policy and Management Division in July 2024, allegedly claiming a replacement air ticket allowance and falsely stating he had used his own vehicle when he had in fact used a project vehicle.

Both offences were allegedly committed at the Kedah JKR Architecture Division in Kota Setar on July 8 and Aug 5, 2024.

Suhaili was charged under Section 18 of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009, punishable under Section 24(2), which provides for up to 20 years’ jail and a fine of at least five times the bribe value or RM10,000, whichever is higher, upon conviction.

MACC deputy public prosecutor Nurul Atika Ab. Rashid appeared for the prosecution, while the accused was represented by counsels Yusmadi Yusoff and Durratul ‘Ain Mahmud Morshidi.

The judge then set bail at RM8,000 with one surety, with the additional condition that the accused not interfere with prosecution witnesses, while the case was fixed for mention on March 4.

--BERNAMA