KUANTAN, Nov 23 — The managing director of two companies was charged again at the Sessions Court here today on 14 counts of submitting false claims for the Penjana Kerjaya 2.0 incentive to the Social Security Organisation (Socso) amounting to RM152,200, two years ago.

M. Sentil Kumar, 38, pleaded not guilty to all the charges accusing him of submitting workers verification forms for claims ranging from RM3,500 and RM31,600 for 21 individuals who were not on the payroll of Global Tech (S) Auto Supply and Global Green Soil Plantation.

He was charged with allegedly committing the offences at Wisma Perkeso here on May 27 and June 24, 2021, under Section 18 of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009, which is punishable by up to 20 years imprisonment and a fine of not less than five times the value of the false claim or RM10,000, whichever is higher, upon conviction.

He also pleaded not guilty to 14 alternative charges of passing off the falsified documents as genuine, under Section 471 of the Penal Code which is punishable by up to two years imprisonment, or fine, or both, upon conviction.

MACC Deputy Public Prosecutor Rifah Izzati Abdul Mutalif requested that bail be set at RM55,000 with additional conditions of reporting to the MACC office once a month and surrendering his passport to the court.

Sentil Kumar’s lawyer T. Vijaya Sandran pleaded for a more reasonable bail on the basis that his client had already paid bail for a prior case and adhered to the additional conditions as well.

Judge Datuk Ahmad Zamzani Mohd Zain allowed bail at RM55,000 with one surety, agreed to the additional conditions, and set December 22 for the next case mention.

On October 24, the accused pleaded not guilty to four charges of submitting falsified claims under the Penjana Kerjaya 2.0 programme for the sum of RM59,560, two years ago. — Bernama