Fikri Abu Bakar, 58, pleaded not guilty after all the charges against him were read before judge Suzana Hussin.
According to the charges, Fikri, as the director of Fikri Rice Sdn Bhd, submitted 28 invoices for more than RM8.9 million through his company’s staff to an Agrobank Bhd agent to claim capital financing facilities for the purchase of rice.
However, the invoices were said to contain false statements and no rice was purchased by the company.
All the offences were allegedly committed at Menara Wisma Maran here between Nov 18, 2019 and Jan 16, 2020.
All the charges were framed under Section 18 of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2009, which can be punished under Section 24 (2) of the same law and carries a maximum jail term of up to 20 years and a fine of not less than five times the value of the claims or RM10,000, whichever is higher, upon conviction.
Fikri, the son of the rice company’s founder, is also facing 28 alternative charges. He is alleged to have used 28 fake invoices, involving a similar amount (RM8.9 million), at the same place and date.
The alternative charges are under Section 471 of the Penal Code for using forged documents, punishable under Section 465 of the same code, which carries a maximum jail term of two years or a fine, or both, if convicted.
MACC deputy public prosecutor Fadhly Zamry did not offer bail as the offence is non-bailable.
“If the court uses its discretion to grant bail, the prosecution proposes bail of RM200,000 in one surety for 28 charges.
“There must be additional conditions that the accused report to the MACC office in Putrajaya once a month and surrender his passport to the court, as well as not to disturb the prosecution’s witnesses until the disposal of the case,” he said.
Lawyer Nizamuddin Abdul Hamid, who represented the accused, appealed for a lower bail as his client was supporting his family and is a diabetic patient.
“Yesterday, my client was discharged from hospital due to a bone infection in his big toe. He also does not have stable finances and is unable to pay the amount of bail proposed by the prosecution.
“Therefore, I am requesting bail of RM50,000 and I do not object to the additional conditions,” he said.
The court allowed the accused a bail of RM100,000 in one surety for all charges, with the additional conditions requested by the prosecution. It fixed March 25 for further mention of the case and submission of documents.