KUALA LUMPUR (Sept 30): Datuk Faizoull Ahmad, a former director general of the Federal Land Development Authority (Felda), has been charged with cheating the board 12 years ago.
He is charged under Section 420 of the Penal Code with deceiving the Felda board by hiding the facts over the "power of attorney" being given to Synergy Promenade Sdn Bhd dated June 3, 2014, to change ownership of the 16 plots of Felda land in Kuala Lumpur and Setapak to the company.
Faizoull, 66, claimed trial before Sessions Court judge Suzana Hussein.
The crime allegedly took place at the 50th floor of the Felda board room, Menara Felda, Persiaran KLCC on Sept 2, 2014.
If convicted, a person faces one to 10 years sentence, a fine, and whipping. However, the whipping sentence does not apply due to Faizoull's age.
Deputy public prosecutor N Joy Jothi offered bail at RM100,000 with his passport being surrendered to court.
Datuk Sukri Mohamed, counsel who appeared for Faizoull, said his client has four children and one still studying and that his client had been assisting the probe since 2018.
Sukri said his client had been remanded for five days earlier this month and that while in remand, he had given RM100,000 to post bail with the MACC and coming out with another huge sum would be a burden.
The lawyer said his client had been acquitted by the Court of Appeal of two charges of abetting with another former Felda senior officer of criminal breach of trust of RM47 million last year, and that his passport had been impounded for four years before the latest charge.
Suzana set bail at RM70,000 with one surety and fixed Nov 6 for case management. She also ordered Faizoull's passport be handed to court and that the accused report to the nearest MACC office once a month.
The land in the charge are related to the KL Vertical City project awarded to Synergy Promenade by Felda. A civil suit between the two firms is also playing out at the High Court.
On Tuesday, former Felda Investment Corporation (FIC) CEO Mohd Zaid Abdul Jalil was charged with two counts of cheating in relation to the same case.