USM assistant admin officer charged with gratification involving more than RM130,000
BERNAMA
28/09/2020 01:57 PM
BUTTERWORTH, 28 September -- An assistant administrative officer at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) pleaded not guilty in the Sessions Court here today to 52 counts of gratification, totalling RM135,445.90.
Zurina Abdul Hamid, 43, made the plea before judge Ahmad Azhari Abdul Hamid.
She was charged with using her position for gratification by submitting documents on delivery order and invoices from TZP Ventures, a company she has interests in, for payment for supply of office and sports equipment.
The offences were allegedly committed at the USM Sports and Recreation Centre between Dec 31, 2013 and Dec 15, 2017.
All the charges were framed under Section 23 (1) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act which provides an imprisonment for up to 20 years and a fine of not less than five times the sum of the gratification or RM10,000, whichever is higher, if found guilty.
Ahmad Azhari allowed Zurani, represented by lawyer S. Meharaj, bail of RM24,000 with one surety. She was also ordered to surrender her passport to the court and to report herself to a MACC office every month.
Deputy public prosecutor Azlan Basri, from MACC, prosecuted.
The court set Nov 4 for mention.
-- BERNAMA
