SHAH ALAM, April 6 — A retired civil servant and a former temple committee chairman were charged in separate Sessions Courts here today over a forged invoice for RM50,000 linked to consultancy services for temple repair works in the Petaling district five years ago.
M Thiruselvam, 65, pleaded not guilty to the charge before Judge Datuk Mohd Nasir Nordin.
He is accused of having dishonestly submitted the invoice for approval of repair works at a temple in Petaling, to a 64-year-old temple secretary on November 22, 2021, at the temple premises.
The charge is framed under Section 471 of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum sentence of two years’ imprisonment, a fine, or both, upon conviction.
The court allowed Thiruselvam bail of RM5,000 with one surety and fixed May 11 for case mention.
In a separate court, the temple’s former chairman, P Selvam, 70, also pleaded not guilty to a charge of abetment under Section 109 of the Penal Code in connection with the same offence, allegedly committed at the same time and place.
Selvam was granted bail of RM15,000 by Judge Awang Kerisnada Awang Mahmud. The court also allowed an application to transfer the case to be heard before Judge Mohd Nasir on May 11.
Both courts imposed additional conditions requiring the accused to surrender their passports, report to the authorities in the first week of each month, and refrain from interfering with prosecution witnesses.
The prosecution was conducted by Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) prosecuting officer Muhammad Arif Asyraf Mohd Khairi.
Thiruselvam and Selvam were represented by lawyers N Lalitha and M Segaran, respectively. — Bernama
