Nizam Abdul Ghani, 46, entered the plea before magistrate Khairunnisak Hassni.

He was charged with using falsified approval letters for the Darjah Pangkuan Seri Melaka (DPSM) award as genuine to deceive three individuals into thinking he could secure the awards for them.

The offence was committed at a house in Taman Paya Rumput Perdana in the Melaka Tengah district about 11pm on Sept 21 this year.

The charges were framed under Section 471 of the Penal Code and read together with Section 468 of the Penal Code which provides imprisonment for up to seven years and a fine upon conviction.

The court allowed him bail of RM7,000 with one surety and set Dec 4 for sentencing.

Deputy public prosecutor Hanis Aliah Ahmad Kamarulnajuib appeared for the prosecution while Nizam was represented by lawyer Kent Tan.

In a separate proceeding, Nizam’s friend, Shahrizan Sahauddin, 45, pleaded not guilty to a charge of forging the documents involving the same individuals at the same time and place.

He was charged under Section 465 of the Penal Code for forgery, which carries a maximum imprisonment of two years, a fine, or both, upon conviction.

Shahrizan, represented by lawyer Helmi Hasan, was allowed bail of RM4,000 with one surety. The court set Nov 12 for mention.