00:00The chairman of Pertubuhan Kebajikan Serantau Muslim,
00:08Mohamad Hakim Mohamad Noor,
00:11pleaded not guilty at the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court on Monday
00:14to a charge of misusing RM207,000 in funds
00:18intended for humanitarian missions to Myanmar, Yemen, Syria and Palestine seven years ago.
00:25The 39-year-old entered the plea after the charge was read
00:29before Judge Azrul Daras.
00:32He is accused, in his capacity as chairman,
00:35of dishonestly misappropriating money donated for humanitarian aid missions
00:40carried out in collaboration with NGOs.
00:43The alleged misuse took place at a bank branch on Jalan Sultan Hishamuddin
00:48on December 27, 2019.
00:52The father of three was charged under Section 403 of the Penal Code,
00:56which carries a sentence of six months to five years imprisonment,
01:00whipping and a fine upon conviction.
01:03During proceedings, the deputy public prosecutor proposed bail of RM50,000 with one surety,
01:09along with conditions including reporting to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission,
01:14MACC,
01:16surrendering his passport and not interfering with witnesses.
01:19The defence argued that the proposed bail was excessive,
01:23noting that the accused had fully cooperated with authorities
01:26and posed a low risk of absconding.
01:29Judge Azrul granted bail of RM10,000 with one surety
01:33and ordered the accused to comply with all additional conditions.
01:37The next mention of the case was fixed for March 11.
01:40The case comes amid a wider investigation by the MACC
01:45into the misappropriation of NGO funds,
01:48believed to involve public donations totaling RM26 million since 2015.
01:55MACC has seized assets worth more than RM8 million,
01:59including jewellery, cash, cryptocurrency and several houses,
02:03as part of the operation,
02:05which led to the arrest of five individuals,
02:07including the chairman, secretary, treasurer and finance officer.
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