Army corporal faces 79 graft charges

MELAKA: An army corporal was charged at the Sessions Court yesterday with 79 counts of misappropriation of claims, amounting to RM50,238.10, between April and July last year.

Appearing before judge Norma Ismail, Musa Md Dawi, 27, who was attached to the Sungai Udang camp, stood for an hour as each charge was read to him.

He pleaded not guilty to all charges of misappropriation of property, which were payment provisions of travel allowances and annual leave claims under the Special Warfare Training Centre (Pulpak) allocation, by creating voucher payments under the names of other soldiers.

The payments, totalling RM46,281.10, were allegedly channelled to his bank accounts with CIMB and Maybank, between April 28 and July 1 last year.

Musa was also charged with: TWO counts of committing similar offences amounting to RM889.40, in which the payment was made to a Maybank account belonging to his friend, Mohd Ramdan Mohd Sani, on April 25 and June 29 last year; and,

THREE counts of committing similar offences, amounting to RM3,067.60, in which the payment was channelled to a Maybank account belonging to his friend, Anuar Bolhassan, on April 25, 27 and 28 last year.

He allegedly committed the offences at Pulpak’s budget office in Sungai Udang camp here, between April 25 and July 1 last year.

Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) prosecuting officer Ong Cheng Hian applied for RM2,000 bail for each of the charges (totalling RM158,000) with one surety, and applied to have the 79 charges tried together.

Musa, who was unrepresented, told the court he could not afford the bail, and that he was held at the detention camp.

“I have to look after my parents and wife. I was also involved in an accident and have to get treatment for my leg.”

Norma set bail at RM50,000 with one surety and ordered Musa to surrender his passport to the court, and to report to MACC office every month.

The court set June 19 for mention.