Kota Kinabalu: A 35-year-old civil servant was charged with 16 counts of submitting false claims for hotel accommodation worth RM17,094.39.
Sharin Lusiyau, pleaded not guilty before Sessions Court Judge Jason Juga, to all the charges against him on Wednesday.
On the first to 16th counts, Sharin, an accountant at the Tawau branch of the Sabah State Treasury Department, is accused of submitting fake hotel receipts under four different names, including his name but actually none of the individuals had checked in at the hotels.
The offence allegedly took place between February and August 2023.
He was charged under Section 18 of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009, punishable under Section 24 of the same Act which carries a jail term of up to 20 years and a fine of not less than five times the amount of bribe, or up to RM10,000, whichever is higher, on conviction.
The court fixed April 9 for pre-trial case management.
Sharin was released on bail of RM12,000 and RM2,000 to be deposited with the court in a local surety.
The court also ordered Sharin to report to the MACC office once in two months, surrender his passport to the court, and warned to not tamper with the prosecution’s witnesses pending the disposal of his case.
MACC Deputy Public Prosecutor Nurul Izzati Sapifee appeared for the prosecution while counsel Martin Tommy defended Sharin.
