Yap Sin Kong, 58, was charged with intentionally deceiving a senior customs officer by submitting an invoice with false details for repair works on the Labuan station’s KB79 Perantas vessel, which included RM8,239 for services that were never carried out.

The offence was allegedly committed at the finance management branch of the customs department’s headquarters in Putrajaya on Oct 5, 2021.

Yap was charged under Section 18 of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2009, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment or a fine upon conviction.

He also pleaded not guilty to an alternative charge under Section 471 of the Penal Code, punishable under Section 465 of the same code, which provides for a sentence of up to two years’ imprisonment, a fine, or both, upon conviction.

MACC deputy public prosecutor Muaz Ahmad Khairuddin prosecuted. Yap was unrepresented.

Judge Nasir Nordin set bail at RM15,000 in one surety and ordered Yap to surrender his passport and report to the nearest MACC office every month pending disposal of the case.

He scheduled Nov 13 for mention.