5 days ago
Couple charged in RM3.6 million con
Published on: Friday, August 15, 2025
Published on: Fri, Aug 15, 2025
By: Cynthia D Baga Text Size: Ang (left) and his wife leaving the courtroom escorted by MACC personnel. Kota Kinabalu: A business couple was charged in the Sessions Court here on Thursday with abetting a company director in submitting false documents to fraudulently claim more than RM3.6 million from the Department of Industrial Development and Research (DIDR). Ang Ka Fat @ Kenny, 57, and his wife Anita Mohamed, 54, pleaded not guilty to all charges when they appeared separately before Judge Jason Juga. The two face two individual charges each, along with one joint charge. On the first charge, Ang and Anita are accused of abetting Effendy Goriaman, Director of Syarikat Intellect Training & Services (ITS), by deceiving Normah Bitong, an administrative assistant at DIDR. They allegedly submitted a false invoice from ITS dated Nov 11, 2022, supported by 12 delivery orders for MeSTI and Halal certification services under the Sabah SMI Assistance Programme (Baiks) 2022, including renovation works, valued at RM500,000. The services were allegedly never rendered. On the second charge, the duo is accused of submitting another false invoice from ITS dated Oct 10, 2023, accompanied by 45 delivery orders for MeSTI, My Food Tag, and Halal certification services under Baiks 2023, also including renovation works, amounting to RM2.7 million. These services were likewise allegedly never carried out. Both offences were allegedly committed at the DIDR office on Nov 11, 2022, and Nov 2, 2023, respectively. The charges were framed under Section 28(1)(c) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009 and are punishable under Section 24(2) of the same Act. The offence carries a jail term of up to 20 years and a fine of not less than five times the amount involved or RM10,000, whichever is higher, upon conviction. As for the joint charge, Ang and Anita are accused of jointly submitting a false invoice from a different company dated Nov 7, 2023, with 13 delivery orders containing false particulars. The claim was for RM414,400 involving the alleged supply of 11 units of 100-litre machine retorts, two units of 150-litre machine retorts, registration and approval from the Department of Occupational Safety and Health (Dosh), hydrostatic tests, and premises registration. These services and supplies were also allegedly never implemented. The documents were allegedly submitted to Normah on Nov 10, 2023, at the same department. This joint charge falls under Section 18 of the MACC Act 2009, punishable under Section 24(2) of the same Act, and read together with Section 34 of the Penal Code. The court fixed Sept 23, 2025, for pre-trial case management. For the first and second charges, bail was set at RM20,000 each with RM3,000 to be deposited, with one local surety per accused. For the joint charge, each was also granted bail of RM20,000 with RM3,000 deposited and one local surety. Judge Jason Juga also imposed additional conditions, namely the couple must report to the MACC office every two months; they must surrender their passports to the court; they are prohibited from contacting or communicating with prosecution witnesses. Failure to comply with these conditions could result in revocation of bail. MACC Prosecuting Officer Dzulkarnain Rousan Hasbi stood in for Deputy Public Prosecutor Rustam Sanim. The couple was represented by counsel Azhier Farhan Arisin. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available.
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