MELAKA: A former mosque chairman was charged at the sessions court here today with cheating his board members by selling a plot of wakaf land (Islamic endowment) worth RM140,000 to a non-Muslim over a decade ago.
Moktar Ali, 61 pleaded not guilty and claimed trial to the charge before judge Meor Sulaiman Ahmad Tarmizi.
Moktar was charged with duping Masjid Al-Hamideen board members into selling Lot 53, Mukim Kawasan Bandar XIX Melaka Tengah, which was owned by the mosque, to Yong Lang Yeow, 66.
He allegedly deceived the board members by claiming that the mosque faced serious financial problems and high outstanding quit rent, in spite of having sufficient funds in its CIMB bank account.
He allegedly committed the offence between December 2005 and January 2006 at the Al-Hamideen mosque, KM1, Kampung Bukit Cina in Melaka Tengah.
The charge under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating carries a maximum jail sentence of 10 years, a fine and whipping.
Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) deputy public prosecutor Nur Laila Mohamed Nazil proposed RM50,000 bail in one surety.
She added that the land’s market value is higher than the RM140,000 it was sold for, based on MACC's investigations.
But counsel Sulaiman Harmain Shah said his client was already on an MACC bond of RM10,000.
Judge Meor Sulaiman then fixed RM15,000 bail in one surety and fixed Aug 9 for mention.
On May 3, the MACC remanded two individuals – Moktar and his 46-year-old former secretary – over the wakaf land deal.
The duo was arrested on May 2 on suspicion of selling the endowment land to a non-Muslim, a breach of trust, after receiving a suspected bribe of RM116,000.
The duo was remanded for four days until May 6, and the MACC obtained a three-day remand extension from May 6 to facilitate investigations under Section 16 (a)(A) of the MACC Act 2009, and Section 405 of the Penal Code for criminal breach of trust.
On May 5, Yong was remanded for four days for his alleged involvement in the case.