An architect holding the title Datuk was charged in court on Friday with allegedly molesting an 18-year-old boy inside a sauna at a shopping mall on Oct 18.
Datuk Saiful Anuar Abdul Aziz, 61, pleaded not guilty when the charge was read to him before magistrate Siti Nurul Ain Ariffin.
According to the charge sheet, Saiful Anuar allegedly used criminal force against the teenager by touching several parts of his body with the intention of outraging his modesty.
The alleged offence took place at 7.10pm inside a sauna room at a gymnasium in a shopping mall near Taman Melawati.
He was charged under Section 354 of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum jail term of 10 years, a fine, or whipping upon conviction.
Earlier, deputy public prosecutor M. Ramanathan Alias Ashwin proposed bail of RM15,000 and requested that the accused surrender his passport to the court.
However, defence lawyer K. Theivaendran appealed for a lower bail amount, arguing that his client was not a flight risk.
“We object to the prosecution’s application for our client to surrender his passport to the court as he has projects overseas,” he said.
The court subsequently granted bail of RM9,000 with one surety and ordered Saiful Anuar to surrender his passport.
He was released after posting bail at 11.10am.
The court fixed Nov 26 for the next mention.
