KUALA LUMPUR (Sept 8): A former MEX II Sdn Bhd director, Datuk Yap Wee Leong, was charged with 17 counts of forgery involving RM314.5 million in false claims for the unfinished Maju Expressway extension from Putrajaya to the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA).
He was the third person charged at the Sessions Court on Monday, after Maju Expressway owner Tan Sri Abu Sahid Mohamed and his wife Puan Sri Noor Azrina Azmi.
Yap, 68, pleaded not guilty to the charges before judge Rosli Ahmad.
According to the charges against him, between June 2017 and April 2018, Yap allegedly used 13 fake progress claim documents as genuine, submitting them to MEX II parent company Maju Holdings Sdn Bhd for work packages under the 16.8km highway project.
The falsified progress claims covered works including site clearance, temporary works, earthworks, geotechnical works, drainage and pavement works at designated sections of the expressway.
The claims were made 19 times between June 2017 and April 2018, with amounts ranging from RM9.01 million to RM28.46 million, adding up to RM314.5 million.
Yap is accused of using the claims dishonestly despite having knowledge that the documents for the claims were forged.
If found guilty he could get up to two years' jail, a fine, or both.
Deputy public prosecutor Datuk Ahmad Akram Gharib asked for RM1 million bail, which Yap's lawyer Abdul Hakeem Aiman agreed to. Rosli granted bail at RM1 million with one surety and ordered Yap to surrender his passport.
Earlier, Abu Sahid, 74, faced four counts of criminal breach of trust involving RM313 million and 13 money laundering charges involving RM139 million. His wife, 48, was charged with laundering over RM67 million. Both pleaded not guilty.
Case management for all three cases has been set for Nov 3, 2025.
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