By Lian Cheng and Marlynda Meraw
KUCHING, March 7: A former Sarawak Welfare Department administrative assistant was charged with three counts of criminal breach of trust (CBT) involving a total sum of RM10.2 million and another 34 counts of money laundering involving RM5.1 million.
The accused, Mohd Zairull Arzuan Mohd Shamsuddin Ja’afar@Ang Chui Tong, 38, who is understood to have overseen salary simulations while still employed in the department, was brought to court for all the 37 charges today.
He pleaded not guilty to all 37 charges. Due to the high number of charges brought against him, the charges were read before four different judges.
In the case mentioned involving the three CBT charges today, prosecutor Mohd Asyrof Kamarul submitted that Mohd Zairull embezzled RM25,435.70, RM1,402,274.40 and RM8,764,650 through three different illegal transactions, totalling RM10,192,360.10 and asked for RM600,000 and two local sureties for bail for all three charges.
He also requested for passport of the accused to be impounded by the court and that the latter must report to the police station once a month.
Arguing that Mohd Zairull, who now works as an e-hailing driver with monthly earnings of between RM500 to RM1,000, has six children to support with the youngest only one-month-old, and the fact that the latter is also suffering from heart and kidney conditions as well as high blood pressure, defence counsel Christopher Bada asked to lower bail to RM50,000.
Presiding Judge Iris Awen Jon decided that bail be set at RM80,000, and that the accused is required to report to the Gita Police Station on the first working day of every month until the disposal of the case. The next mention was scheduled for May 10, 2024.
Meanwhile, for the 34 money laundering charges amounting to a total sum of RM5.1 million which were brought against Mohd Zairull in four different courts, prosecutor Wan Amanina Wan Din said the total bail set for these charges was RM275,000 with two same local sureties.
“The next mention will be on May 10 at 9am to present a service of documents under Section 51(a) and also for the consolidation application for all charges to be heard under one court,” said Amanina when met by the media at the Kuching Court Complex today.
The presiding judges were Afidah Abdul Rahman, Musli Abdul Hamid and Saiful Bahari Adzmi. — DayakDaily
