MELAKA: A Melaka Industrial Skills Development Centre (MISDC) former secretary and his son, an MISDC administrative unit director were charged at the Sessions Court here today with 84 counts of committing criminal breach of trust involving more than RM4.58 million.
The accused, Zamrud Mansor, 77 and Hazizul Zamrud, 44, claimed trial to all the charges read to them before Judge Norma Ismail.
Zamrud, during his capacity as MISDC secretary, was charged with five counts of committing criminal breach of trust by transferring RM4.3million to his personal company, MISDEC Resources Sdn Bhd (MRSB) under Section 409 of the Penal Code.
He was also charged with 37 counts of committing criminal breach of trust by making a payment of RM280,000 to seven supply companies to run his personal company, Restoran MISDEC Resources Sdn Bhd (MRSC).
His son, Hazizul was charged with 42 counts of abetting his father, Zamrud, in committing criminal breach of trust under Section 409 of the Penal Code, read together with Section 109 of the Penal Code.
The duo was alleged to have committed the offences between March 2014 and June 2015 at MISDC office in Batu Berendam.
The charge under Section 409 of the Penal Code provides a maximum jail sentence of 20 years, whipping and also a fine.
Earlier, Deputy Public Prosecutor Irwan Shah Abdul Samat requested for the court to deny bail as the charge under Section 409 of the Penal Code was a non-bailable offence, but later suggested RM500,000 bail for each of the accused upon the court’s discretion.
However, counsel Azrul Zulkifli Stork, who represented the duo, pleaded for a lower bail as Zamrud is suffering from heart problems and asthma.
He also urged the court to consider offering a lower bail on the grounds that Hazizul is still working with MISDC besides having to support his wife and two children, who are still young.
Judge Norma set bail at RM250,000 with one surety for each of the accused, apart from ordering them to report to the MACC office monthly.
She also set Feb 2 for mention.
On July 11, MACC arrested the father and son for allegedly abusing their executive powers and transferring MISDC’s money, a sum of RM4 million in several cheques, into their private company’s account, between 2014 and 2015.
MISDC is a non-profit organisation which had received RM4.5 million in funding from the Human Resources Ministry and the Melaka government to set up an industrial skills training college.
MACC investigators discovered that there were no skills training executed and both the suspects had formed their own company and transferred almost all the allocated funds to their privately owned company.