KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 20 — Social media influencer Mohd Hazalif Mohd Hazani, better known as Alif Teega, was charged in the Sessions Court here today with two counts of misusing funds totalling over RM60,000 collected from two donation programmes in April and June.

Mohd Hazalif, 30, pleaded not guilty after the charges were read before Judge Azura Alwi, national news agency Bernama reported today.

For the first charge, he was accused of dishonestly misusing cash amounting to RM36,047.35 for the purpose of iftar donations in Mecca, Syria, and Palestine at a bank in Jalan Kerinci, Gerbang Kerinci Lestari on April 26.

For the second charge, he was accused of dishonestly misusing cash amounting to RM27,558.13 for the Jom! Join Qurban Meat Donation programme at the same bank on June 15.

The charges were made under Section 403 of the Penal Code (Act 574), which carries a maximum penalty of five years’ imprisonment, whipping, and a fine upon conviction.

Earlier, Deputy Public Prosecutor Farah Yasmin Salleh suggested bail between RM50,000 and RM100,000 for both charges, with additional conditions requiring the accused to surrender his passport to the court and report to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) headquarters in Putrajaya monthly.

Defence lawyer Mohd Sharullah Khan requested a reduction in bail, citing that his client supports a family and all of his assets are frozen by the MACC.

The court granted Mohd Hazalif bail of RM50,000 with one surety for all charges, along with the additional conditions requested by the prosecution, and set October 21 for the next mention of the case.