KUALA LUMPUR: A former company chairman pleaded not guilty in the Sessions Court here today to abetment by instructing his company secretary to use forged statements for the company financial statement.
Tai Boon Wee, 64, formerly GIIB Holdings Berhad chairman, was charged with dishonestly instructing Mak Chooi Peng, 54, to use a forged document, namely the company’s Interim Financial Statement for the Period Ended 31st March 2023 (3rd Quarter) as genuine.
The offence was allegedly committed on May 29 last year at the Bursa Malaysia Berhad Office, Exchange Square, Bukit Kewangan, here.
The charge, made under Section 109 of the Penal Code, read with Section 471 of the same law, provides imprisonment for up to two years or a fine or both, if convicted.
Earlier, Deputy Public Prosecutor Anis Najwa Nazari offered bail of RM20,000 with one surety with the additional condition that the accused must report to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) office once a month and surrender his passport to the court.
“Tai should have been charged earlier but he is often abroad and it is difficult for the prosecution to locate his whereabouts. Therefore we feel that he is a flight risk,” she said.
Judge Azura Alwi allowed Tai, represented by lawyer Wan Shahrizal Wan Ladin, bail of RM20,000 with one surety. She also ordered Tai to surrender his passport to the court.
The court set July 5 for mention.
On Jan 13 last year, Tai pleaded not guilty in the Sessions Court here to charges of submitting false documents to an auditing company regarding the sale and disposal of used machines worth RM2.95 million.
However, on Oct 24 of the same year, the High Court discharged Tai of the charges after allowing his application to quash all the charges.
