MELAKA: A contractor and a clerk pleaded not guilty to deceiving a man of RM47,000 in return for purportedly obtaining him a datukship seven years ago.
The accused, Low Kia Seng, 58, and Razizam Ali, 42, a contractor and assistant chief administrator of the Melaka State Land and Mines Office (PTG) respectively, were alleged to have deceived Seet Xiang Lin, 38, by claiming that they could get him a datukship title.
The accused were charged with dishonestly inducing the victim to transfer RM47,000 in three transactions to the Public Bank Berhad account of the first accused. The offence was alleged to have been committed between Jan 1, 2017, and Nov 30, 2018.
If convicted, they face imprisonment of not less than a year and a maximum of 10 years, caning, and may be liable to a fine under Section 420 and Section 34 of the Penal Code.
The prosecution requested a new mention date for document submission and proposed bail of RM40,000 with one surety. The prosecution also sought additional conditions for both the accused to report to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Melaka office once a month and to surrender their passports to the court.
Lawyer Mohamad Kamarulzaman, acting for Low, requested a reduction in bail. He cited his client's dependents and his passport being held by MACC since November 2022 due to his income as a contract worker. He added that the accused, who suffers from heart disease and supports a wife and child, had appealed for his passport to be released.
Lawyer Azrul Zulkifli Stork, who appeared for Razizam, requested his client be released on bail of RM10,000 with RM10,000 secured. He said the accused worked as a clerk earning RM1,800 monthly and worked part-time as a Grab driver.
He said the accused supports four school-going children and an elderly father, adding that he had reported to the MACC Melaka office for the last two years pending the completion of investigation into the case.
After considering arguments from both parties, the court allowed both accused to be released on bail of RM30,000 each with additional conditions requested by the prosecution, with the second accused's bail set at RM15,000 secured and RM15,000 unsecured.
The case was set for mention again on July 5 for document submission.