KUALA LUMPUR: Former MIC vice-president Tan Sri S. Balakrishnan was charged at the Sessions Court with submitting false claims of nearly RM13mil to the Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID) for river restoration works in Malacca five years ago.
His son Ashok Kumar, 31, was also charged in a different court with abetting him.
However, the duo claimed trial to the offence separately before judges Allaudeen Ismail and Azura Alwi, respectively.
The 63-year-old retired politician who is the director of Sinnayah & Sons Sdn Bhd was charged with submitting interim payment claims bearing false details on a 'supply and deliver de-watering container' project for 358 units of dewatering containers for a total of RM12,888,000, while only 89 units were supplied to them.
The documents were submitted through one Nuri Abdullah who was an appointed quantity surveyor by the company.
Balakrishnan's charge under Section 18 of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009 carries a fine of at least five times the amount of corruption and a maximum 20 years imprisonment, if convicted.
Meanwhile Ashok, who was the project manager of the company, was accused to have abetted his father.
They allegedly committed the offence at the DID special project department office at Jalan Sallehuddin, here between April 2012 and Oct 23, 2013.
Balakrishnan and Ashok were allowed RM500,000 bail with two sureties each and their case will be up for mention on Aug 28.
MACC deputy public prosecutor S. Thangavelu prosecuted while the duo were represented by counsel John Dass and Asho Athimulan respectively.