ICSU officer claims trial to cheating charges

KUALA LUMPUR: An administrative officer of the International Council for Science (ICSU) claimed trial in the magistrates' court here today on two charges of cheating the Academy of Sciences Malaysia (ASM) chief executive officer over a programme meeting.
On the first charge, Mohd Hizamddin Jaafar, 43, had allegedly submitted a fraud document which bore the name of the organisation and the Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, requesting for a cash advance for the '7th Meeting Steering Group on Natural Hazards and Risk' programme held from Mar 24-30, in Kuala Lumpur.
The accused used the document dated Feb 13, 2017, despite knowing that the signature of the chief executive officer of ICSU, Tengku Sharizad Tengku Chik, on the document was false.
The document had resulted in ASM's chief executive officer, Hazami Habib, 51, approving the request for the advance and depositing RM21,420 into Tengku Sharizad's CIMB account.
The charge, under Section 471 of the Penal Code, is punishable under Section 468 of the same act which carries a maximum jail term of seven years and fine, if convicted.
For the second charge, Mohd Hizamddin had allegedly cheated Hazami by claiming that Tengku Sharizad had signed the request letter for the cash advance.
The charge, under Section 420 of the Penal Code provides a maximum jail sentence of 10 years and whipping, and shall also be liable to a fine.
The offence was committed at Level 20, Matrade Building, Jalan Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah, Jalan Tengku Abdul Halim, between 1pm and 11.59pm, on Feb 13.
Earlier, public prosecutor K. Vasugi offered a bail of RM50,000 with one surety for both charges.
Counsel Adenan Ismail, who represented the accused, requested for the bail to be reduced on the grounds that the accused had given full cooperation to the police throughout the investigation period.
Magistrate Siti Radziah Kamarudin set bail at RM15,000 with one surety for both charges and Dec 12 for mention. — Bernama