Kuala lumpur: A married couple were charged in the Sessions Court here today with two counts of misappropriating company funds totaling RM56,000 to pay their house rent. Nor Atiqah Mohamad Alwi, 36, a director at A2 Wax Sdn Bhd, and her husband Muhamad Fakhrullah Abd Rahim, 37, pleaded not guilty to both charges before Judge Mohd Azhar Othman.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, they were jointly charged with dishonestly misappropriating company funds, involving RM49,000 and RM7,000, by withdrawing the money from the company's account to pay rent for an office premises in Puchong, Selangor, which was actually their home. The offence was allegedly committed at the A2 Wax Sdn Bhd office here on Aug 29 and Nov 23, 2021, and Jan 31, 2022.
The charge, framed under Section 403 of the Penal Code and read together with Section 34 of the same law, provides imprisonment of up to five years, whipping, and a fine if convicted. The court allowed the couple bail of RM8,000 each with one surety, and they were also ordered to surrender their passports, report to the nearest Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) office every month and not to disturb witnesses. The court set Nov 4 for mention.
The prosecution was conducted by MACC Deputy Public Prosecutor Rabiatul Addawiah Mohd Noorlee and MACC Prosecuting Officer Nur Raihan Mohd Yusof, while lawyer Abdul Rahman Ab Razak represented the couple.
Meanwhile, in the same court, a former assistant community development officer, Muhammad Maududi Abd Rashid, 36, was fined RM6,000 after pleading guilty to three counts of accepting bribes totaling RM2,100 two years ago. The bribes were received in exchange for registering a daycare centre owned by a woman who was also the chairperson of an organisation and a company director. The offences, under Section 165 of the Penal Code, were committed between July and September 2023 at a bank in Jertih.
Judge Mohd Azhar imposed a fine of RM2,000, in default two months' imprisonment, for each count. Nur Raihan also prosecuted in the case, while Muhammad Maududi was unrepresented.