Former Johor Unity Department director charged with making false claims

Rajali Mudin, 56, who is now the Social Relationship and Neighbourhood Division director at JPNIN, Putrajaya, made the plea after the charges were read out to him before Judge Kamarudin Kamsun.

On the first to third counts, Rajali as a government agent was charged with using documents relating to three unity ceremonies belonging to a retail company, amounting to RM10,400, RM11,800 and RM13,200 respectively, to deceive his principal, namely the Johor JPNIN.

On the fourth count, he was charged with using a document on a discussion activity belonging to a catering and canopy company totalling RM12,400 to deceive the same principal.

All the activities never took place and he was alleged to have committed the offences at the Johor JPNIN between November and December 2015.

The charges were framed under Section 18 of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009 and punishable under Section 24(2) of the same act, which provides for a maximum 20 years' imprisonment and a fine not less than five times the amount of bribe or RM10,000, whichever is higher.

MACC prosecuting officer Zander Lim proposed for a RM20,000 bail in one surety for all charges, but lawyer Iskandar Shah Ibrahim, who represented the accused, pleaded for a lower bail.

Kamarudin allowed bail at RM20,000 in one surety for all charges and ordered Rajali to surrender his passport to the court and report to the MACC office every month.

The court set Oct 12 for mention.