A senior officer from the Terengganu Religious Affairs Department (JHEAT), Ali Embong, 60, pleaded not guilty in the Sessions Court to 24 charges of power abuse. These charges relate to allegations that he directed departmental vehicle repair work to a company owned by his wife.
The plea was entered before Judge Mohd Azhar Othman. The accusations claim that Ali misused his position as a public official to benefit financially. Specifically, he is alleged to have approved maintenance services for department vehicles totalling RM24,267, which directly involved his wife, Noor Mala Ngah, who owns Kerjasama Servis Trading.
These offences are said to have occurred between October and December 2022 at JHEAT. Ali is being charged under Section 23(1) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009. If found guilty, he faces severe penalties under Section 24 of the same Act. This includes possible imprisonment of up to 20 years and a fine of at least five times the amount involved in the gratification or RM10,000, whichever is higher.
The court set Ali's bail at RM20,000 for all the charges, requiring one surety. Additionally, he was instructed to surrender his passport, avoid any contact with prosecution witnesses, and report to the nearest MACC office monthly until the case concludes.
Judge Mohd Azhar Othman scheduled the next mention and case management for July 10.
The prosecution in this case is being handled by MACC Deputy Public Prosecutor Aznika Mohd Anas, while Ali is being defended by lawyer Nur Ain Mohd Rani from the National Legal Aid Foundation.
In a related but separate case, a man in his 40s has been remanded for six days on suspicion of submitting false documents to secure employment with a foundation under the Terengganu state government. The remand, issued by Magistrate Noor Mazrinie Mahmood, will last until Monday, June 10. This investigation is also being conducted under Section 18 of the MACC Act 2009.
The MACC's ongoing efforts underscore the importance of upholding integrity and accountability within public service sectors. These cases highlight the legal consequences of abusing public office and the judicial system's role in addressing such violations. As the investigations proceed, the public will be watching closely to see how these cases unfold, reflecting the broader commitment to combating corruption in Malaysia.
Young Sok Fun is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
The User Content (as defined on Newswav Terms of Use) above including the views expressed and media (pictures, videos, citations etc) were submitted & posted by the author. Newswav is solely an aggregation platform that hosts the User Content. If you have any questions about the content, copyright or other issues of the work, please contact Newswav.