A local actress and three other individuals pleaded not guilty at two Sessions Courts here on Thursday to charges of submitting false claims involving incentives under the Social Security Organisation’s (PERKESO) Daya Kerjaya 2.0 Programme two years ago.
Drama actress Farah Wahida Zainuddin, 44, and her associate Mohd Nizam Jamaluddin, 45, faced four charges each after the accusations were read before Sessions Court Judge Suzana Hussin.
Meanwhile, Lim Sue Peng, 54, and Lim Sian Tze, 54, were charged with five and eight counts respectively, with both also claiming trial before Sessions Court Judge Rosli Ahmad.
According to the charges, Farah Wahida, who was the director of Focal Reality Entertainment Sdn Bhd, Sue Peng as director of Zfinity and Sian Tze as owner of LST Concept Marketing, were accused of submitting false documents in the form of Daya Kerjaya 2.0 Employee Verification Forms to a PERKESO agent to obtain programme incentives.
The alleged offences were said to have taken place at several premises involving Off Jalan Gombak, Jalan Sungai Besi and Taman Sri Sinar Segambut between March 29 and Oct 2, 2024.
The charges were framed under Section 18 of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009, punishable under Section 24(2) of the same Act.
If convicted, the offence carries a maximum jail term of 20 years and a fine of not less than five times the amount or value of the false claim, or RM10,000, whichever is higher.
Mohd Nizam was separately charged with four counts of abetting Farah Wahida in committing the same offence, under Section 28(1)(c) of the MACC Act 2009 read together with Section 18 of the same Act.
The prosecution was conducted by MACC Deputy Public Prosecutor Irna Julieza Maaras and MACC Prosecuting Officer Nazreena Zainudin, while the accused were represented by their respective lawyers.
The court granted Farah Wahida bail of RM8,000 with one surety and imposed an additional condition for her to report to the nearest MACC office once a month.
Mohd Nizam was granted bail of RM6,000, while Sue Peng and Sian Tze were granted bail of RM35,000 and RM48,000 respectively, each with one surety.
The three other accused were also required to report to an MACC office monthly and surrender their passports to the court until the conclusion of the case.
