KANGAR (May 23): The son of the Perlis menteri besar pleaded not guilty in the Sessions Court here on Thursday to a charge of submitting a false claim amounting to RM19,505.10.

Mohd Syafeeq Mohd Shukri, 35, made the plea after the charge was read out to him before judge Norsalha Hamzah.

He was charged with submitting a document, “Pesanan Kerajaan (Bekalan/Perkhidmatan) Kerajaan Negeri Perlis”, containing a false claim to Nurul Nabilah Mohd Sukri, an administrative assistant at the district administration division of the Perlis State Secretary's Office, on Feb 19 this year with an intent to deceive the principal.

Mohd Syafeeq is alleged to have reason to believe that the document, for a claim amounting to RM19,505.10, dated Feb 14, 2024, and in the name of Mohd Farid Abdul Hamid, contained false details of the services provided for Raja of Perlis Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin Jamalullail at the Tuanku Fauziah Hospital here.

The charge is framed under Section 18 of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009 (Act 694), punishable under Section 24(2) of the same law, which provides imprisonment for up to 20 years and a fine of not less than five times the amount or value of the bribe or RM10,000, whichever is higher, upon conviction.

The court allowed Mohd Syafeeq bail at RM20,000 with one surety. He is also ordered to report himself at the nearest MACC office once a month, and surrender his passport to the court.

The court set June 28 for mention for submissions of documents.

MACC deputy public prosecutor Rehab Abdul Shukur appeared for the prosecution, while lawyer Mohd Fadhly Yaacob represented Mohd Syafeeq.