KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 8 — Highway construction company director Tan Sri Abu Sahid Mohamed was charged at the Sessions Court today with four counts of criminal breach of trust (CBT) involving more than RM313 million and 13 counts of money laundering involving RM139.2 million.
The charges are in connection with the proposed MEX II highway construction project.
Present in a wheelchair, the 74-year-old, a director of Maju Holdings Sdn Bhd, pleaded not guilty to all charges after they were read out before Judge Suzana Hussin.
The court granted him bail of RM1.5 million with one surety for all charges, and ordered him to surrender his passport until the conclusion of the case. It then set November 3 for the case mention.
In his capacity as a director entrusted with dominion over the company funds, Sahid is accused of dishonestly misappropriating a sum exceeding RM313 million held in an account at a bank in Bukit Tunku, Taman Tunku, between May 3, 2016, and October 21, 2019.
The four charges were framed under Section 409 of the Penal Code, which carries an imprisonment term of between two and twenty years, and is liable to the possibility of caning and a fine, upon conviction.
Concurrently, on the first to tenth charges for money laundering, he is accused of transferring proceeds from unlawful activities, totalling RM116,449,536.12, from his personal bank account to five individuals and four construction companies.
On a further three counts of money laundering, Sahid is charged with disposing of proceeds from unlawful activities, totalling RM22,802,612.86, by withdrawing cash via 15 cheques drawn from his account at the same bank between May 4, 2016, and September 19, 2018.
The money laundering charges were brought under Section 4(1)(b) of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing, and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001.
It prescribes a maximum penalty of fifteen years’ imprisonment and a fine of not less than five times the sum or value of the proceeds of the unlawful activity, upon conviction.
Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Datuk Ahmad Akram Gharib submitted that both the prosecution and defence had agreed to the bail amount of RM1.5 million with one surety for all charges.
The prosecution further applied for the CBT and money laundering charges to be tried jointly.
Sahid’s defence counsel Datuk Hisyam Teh Poh Teik confirmed the agreement and did not object to the prosecution’s application for a joint trial.
Judge Suzana then allowed the prosecution’s application for a joint trial.
In a separate Sessions Court before Judge Rosli Ahmad, Sahid’s wife Puan Sri Noor Azrina Mohd Azmi, 48, pleaded not guilty to a charge of receiving RM67,136,588.43 in proceeds from unlawful activities into her bank account from her husband’s account.
The offence was allegedly committed at a bank in Bukit Tunku between March 6, 2017, and November 27, 2017.
She was charged under Section 4(1)(b) of the AMLATFPUAA Act 2001, which is punishable by imprisonment of up to fifteen years and a fine of not less than five times the sum or value of the proceeds of the unlawful activity or RM5 million, whichever is higher, upon conviction.
In a related case, former highway construction company director Datuk Yap Wee Leong, 68, was charged with 17 counts of submitting forged documents for the "Proposed Lebuhraya Putrajaya To KLIA (MEX II) Commencing From Putrajaya Interchange And Terminating At KLIA For Maju Holdings Sdn Bhd" project, involving RM314,486,100.
The offences were allegedly committed at an office in Maju Tower, Jalan Sultan Ismail, between June 2017 and April 2018.
He was charged under Section 471 of the Penal Code (Act 574), which carries a maximum penalty of two years’ imprisonment, or a fine, or both, upon conviction.
DPP Datuk Ahmad Akram Gharib appeared for the prosecution, while Azrina and Yap were represented by Hisyam and Abdul Hakeem Aiman, respectively.
The court granted both accused RM500,000 and RM1 million in bail, respectively, each with one surety and additional conditions requiring the surrender of their passports.
Judge Rosli then set November 3 for mention of both cases.
