Bank Rakyat managing director Datuk Mustafha Abd Razak and the bank's chairman, Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Zainal were charged in the Sessions Court here today with criminal breach of trust and abetment respectively, involving RM14,991,283.20.
Both pleaded not guilty before judge Madihah Harullah.
Mustafha, 48, allegedly committed the offence related to the bank's group marketing expenditure allocation, at Menara Kembar Bank Rakyat, No. 33 Jalan Travers here on March 11. The charge is under Section 409 of the Penal Code.
Abdul Aziz, 65, stands accused of abetting Mustafha at the same place and date. The charge is under Section 109 read with Section 409 of the Penal Code.
If found guilty, they can be sentenced to a maximum 20 years in jail with whipping, and liable to a fine, each.
Abdul Aziz was represented by counsel Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah and Mustafha, by Datuk Kamarul Hisham Kamaruddin, while Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission director Masri Mohd Daud conducted the prosecution.
The judge set RM400,000 as bail with one surety for each of the accused with an additional condition to surrender their passports to the court pending disposal of their respective cases.
The court also set Oct 10 for remention and granted the prosecution's application for both cases to be consolidated as it involved the same transaction amount.
Earlier, Masri proposed for the bail to be set at RM2 million with one surety for each of the accused and an additional condition for their passports to be impounded by the court considering the seriousness of the offence which involved a financial institution.
However, Shafee in his mitigation for a lesser amount for his client said the proposed bail did not justify the CBT allegedly committed by the accused.
He told the court that Abdul Aziz has four children who had previously served in the security forces and held high positions besides being recipients of various awards during their service.
Kamarul Hisham submitted that his client had a long service record with Bank Rakyat, and that it was unthinkable for the accused to abscond as he has a family and four children aged between 23 and seven years.
But Masri countered that having a good background or being a recipient of many awards did not mean that an accused would not abscond, "and these offences involved the number one and two in Bank Rakyat".
The judge granted Muhammad Shafee's application to defer payment of his client's bail to 3pm tomorrow for the reason that the accused did not have sufficient amount for it.
Barack Obama
Wed Sep 07 2016
Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Zainal (right) and his lawyer Tan Sri Dr Muhammad Shafee Abdullah at the Jalan Duta Court Complex today. - fotoBERNAMA
Freedom Flotilla to Gaza: Semua delegasi diminta pulang, FFC akan maklumkan tarikh baharu misi
Freedom Flotilla Coalition tidak dapat meneruskan misi penghantaran bantuan ke Gaza untuk kali ini.
Biden rancang untuk berdebat dengan Trump
Sebelum ini, Biden tidak komited untuk berdebat dengan lawannya, Trump.
Pesta Kaamatan 2024 dilancar pada 1 Mei di Ranau, Sabah
Sambutan perayaan Pesta Kaamatan 2024 akan dilancarkan pada 1 Mei di Ranau dan diadakan sambutan di peringkat daerah, di Sarawak dan Semenanjung.
Khairulnizam layak ke Sukan Olimpik Paris 2024
Khairulnizam Mohd Afendy sah akan mengiringi Nur Shazrin Mohd Latif ke Sukan Olimpik Paris 2024, juga merupakan penampilan keempat berturut-turut di temasya berprestij itu.
Musibah banjir buka peluang 'rezeki lebih' usahawan F&B melalui IPR
Musibah banjir yang melanda Johor tahun lepas membuka peluang rezeki baharu kepada usahawan makanan dan minuman, Haida Abdul Rahman.
Mohd Azizulhasni tekad dikalungkan pingat emas di Paris
Azizulhasni tekad untuk 'dikalungkan' pingat emas pertama Malaysia di Sukan Olimpik Paris 2024 pada penampilan terakhirnya di temasya itu.
USM cipta rekod hasilkan kaligrafi Cina 2.68km
Penuntut USM cipta rekod dalam MBOR apabila menghasilkan penulisan kaligrafi Cina sepanjang 2.68 kilometer.
MITRA sudah belanja RM40 juta daripada peruntukan RM100 juta tahun ini
Sebanyak RM40 juta daripada peruntukan RM100 juta yang disalurkan kerajaan tahun ini kepada MITRA telah dimanfaatkan untuk pelbagai program.
Laporan Pasaran Labuan IBFC 2023 tunjukkan pemulihan kukuh, pertumbuhan luar biasa
Laporan Labuan IBFC 2023 mendedahkan pertumbuhan luar biasa wilayah itu yang menyumbang RM1.2 bilion kepada hasil fiskal Malaysia dan melepasi paras RM1 bilion buat pertama kalinya.
Freedom Flotilla to Gaza: Guinea-Bissau akur kepada Israel, tidak beri kebenaran guna bendera bagi misi pelayaran
Kerajaan Republik Guinea-Bissau dilaporkan tunduk dan akur kepada gesaan Israel untuk tidak membenarkan misi pelayaran Break The Siege: Freedom Flotilla to Gaza menggunakan bendera mereka.
Jelajah Jiwa SME: Ramai usahawan dilahirkan, bukti kejayaan 'Santai Namun Sampai 2023'
Kejayaan program santai namun sampai termasuk di tiga lokasi penganjuran jelajah jiwa SME di Kota Bharu, Bukit Mertajam & Kuala Lumpur bukti lebih usahawan dilahirkan.
Jom ke Jelajah Jiwa SME di Kota Bharu 15-16 September, pelbagai program disediakan!
Untuk hari pertama dalam sesi 'Saya Jual', usahawan diberikan durasi masa tertentu untuk mempersembah idea perniagaan masing-masing.
Mohammad Hanis Osman CEO baharu Bank Rakyat
Bank Rakyat melantik Dr Mohammad Hanis Osman sebagai Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif (CEO) baharu berkuat kuasa hari ini.
Program desa tanpa tunai perlu sokongan semua pihak
Ia usaha yang wajar dilaksana berdasarkan keperluan semasa dan perubahan norma baharu dalam kalangan masyarakat.
Bank Rakyat tawar lanjutan moratorium kepada pelanggan terkesan pandemik
Menurut Pemangku Ketua Pegawai Eksekutifnya Datuk Syed Abdul Aziz Syed Hassan, Bank Rakyat amat prihatin terhadap situasi terkini yang masih tidak stabil.
MEDAC, SKM sumbang RM700,000 kepada pelajar dan mangsa banjir Sarawak - Wan Junaidi
Bantuan ini bertujuan meringankan beban yang dihadapi golongan memerlukan akibat banjir dan pandemik COVID-19 yang melanda negara.
Yayasan Bank Rakyat salur bantuan kepada 450 keluarga mangsa banjir Hulu Langat
Bantuan sebanyak RM200 disumbangkan kepada setiap keluarga yang dikenal pasti terkesan.
Bank Rakyat meterai perjanjian program Sukuk Wakalah bernilai RM10 bilion
Program sukuk ini membolehkan bank memperoleh pendanaan jangka panjang dengan kadar tetap di samping mempelbagaikan komposisi pendanaan.
Perkhidmatan bank bergerak di pedalaman Sarawak awal 2021
Ia akan dilaksanakan melalui Bank Rakyat dan akan diperluas berdasarkan keperluan penduduk di kawasan pedalaman.
Tuntutan pemansuhan Akta 202: Bank Rakyat minta pihak berkepentingan bertenang
Bank Rakyat meminta ahli, pelanggan dan pihak berkepentingannya supaya kekal bertenang selain menegaskan operasi perniagaannya berjalan seperti biasa.