KUALA LUMPUR: A former registrar of a private university in Perlis pleaded not guilty in the Sessions Court here today to 36 counts of forgery of documents to withdraw RM826,481.29 from the university’s funds.
Mohd Fairuz Al-Fatah Badarudin, 40, who is also a former special officer at the university, is accused of forging authorisation letters for fraudulent purposes involving a total of RM826,481.29. The offences were allegedly committed at a bank in Jalan Raja Chulan here between June 20, 2022, and July 10, 2023.
He is charged under Section 468 of the Penal Code which provides for a maximum jail sentence of seven years and a fine, if convicted.
Deputy public prosecutor Ahmad Fariz Abdul Hamid offered bail at RM100,000 in one surety, while G. Sivajothi Pillai, a lawyer from the National Legal Aid Foundation (YBGK) representing the accused, requested a lower bail of RM10,000, on the grounds that her client is currently employed as a lecturer at an aviation training institution, earning RM2,600 a month.
“The accused also has to support his 10-year-old twins, while his 41-year-old wife is currently unemployed after an accident left her with a fractured left leg. He has also fully cooperated with the authorities throughout the investigation,” said the lawyer.
Judge Suzana Hussin then allowed the accused bail of RM15,000 in one surety for all charges with the additional condition that the accused to surrender his passport to the court until the disposal of the case.
The court set July 17 for mention.
