PETALING JAYA: Five company owners and a manager pleaded not guilty in the Kota Bharu sessions court to charges of submitting false claims to the Social Security Organisation (Perkeso).
The claims were allegedly submitted in 2024 under the Daya Kerjaya 2.0 programme, which provided employers with a monthly RM1,500 wage incentive over six months for each eligible worker hired, including persons with disabilities, former prisoners and senior citizens.
The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) previously found that several companies had declared certain individuals as employees though they did not exist.
The six accused charged today were Saipuddin Mohamad, 47; Nur Shahalwani Ab Hamid, 37; Nik Afiq Rifqi Nik Araman, 29; his father Nik Araman Yusoff, 54; Eadzelin Azmi, 41; and Faiz Harith Hazman, 30.
They claimed trial after the charges were read out before judge Dazuki Ali.
Saipuddin faces six charges, while Nur Shahalwani faces four. The remaining four accused, including the father and son, face one charge each.
According to the charges, they allegedly submitted Daya Kerjaya 2.0 employee verification forms containing false information to Perkeso officers with the intention of deceiving the agency.
The offences were allegedly committed at several locations in Kota Bharu between May 18 and Oct 9, 2024.
They were charged under Section 18 of the MACC Act 2009 and face punishment under Section 24(2) of the same Act.
If convicted, they face up to 20 years in jail and a fine of at least five times the value of the false particulars involved, or RM10,000, whichever is higher.
MACC deputy public prosecutors Mariah Omar and Asmah Che Wan prosecuted, while the accused except Nur Shahalwani were represented by lawyers.
The prosecution sought bail of RM15,000 with one surety for each accused, along with conditions requiring them to report to the MACC office every month and refrain from interfering with witnesses.
The court granted bail of between RM8,000 and RM14,000 for each accused and fixed Sept 13 for the next mention.
