A former chairman of Pertubuhan Kebajikan Serantau Muslim has pleaded not guilty in the Sessions Court here to misappropriating RM207,000 in public donations meant for humanitarian aid.
Mohd Hakim Mohd Nor, 39, was charged in his capacity as chairman of the non-governmental organisation (NGO) with dishonestly misusing funds that had been donated for relief missions in Myanmar, Yemen, Syria and Palestine.
The offence is alleged to have been committed at a bank in Jalan Sultan Hishamuddin on Dec 27, 2019. He was charged under Section 403 of the Penal Code, which carries a penalty of between six months and five years’ imprisonment, whipping, or a fine upon conviction.
Deputy Public Prosecutor from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), Asmaa’ Zamri, requested bail to be set at RM50,000, along with conditions requiring the accused to report to a MACC office every month, surrender his passport and refrain from interfering with prosecution witnesses.
However, defence lawyer Azzizul Shariman Mat Yusoff asked for bail of RM10,000, citing his client’s family responsibilities, including three school-going children, elderly parents with health issues, and a wife earning RM1,500 a month. He also told the court that Mohd Hakim had cooperated fully with investigators and was not a flight risk, noting that his client is facing additional charges in Melaka and Ipoh over the coming days.
Judge Azrul Darus granted bail of RM10,000 with one surety and ordered Mohd Hakim to comply with all additional conditions proposed by the prosecution. The case has been fixed for mention on March 11 for the submission of documents.
The MACC had previously identified the chairman of a Melaka-based NGO as the main suspect in a separate investigation into the alleged embezzlement of RM26 million in public donations.
