V Elenggo, 56, from Seremban, claimed trial to all the charges read to him before magistrates Syaiful Akmal Razi and Azlan Basri, Sinar Harian reported.

He is accused of cheating former schoolmate T Chandrarajan, 56, into financing projects at the international school, including system installations and equipment procurement.

Chandrarajan, a businessman from Kedah, transferred about RM1.3 million through online banking into several accounts between February and July 2020.

Elenggo’s lawyer, P Suresh, appealed for a lower bail amount, arguing that it was merely to ensure the accused’s presence in court throughout the trial.

He said the accused had given his full cooperation to the police during the investigation, and urged the courts to consider a reasonable bail amount.

The courts allowed bail of RM125,500 for all 58 charges and fixed the next mention on Aug 14.