PETALING JAYA: Two former senior officers at Tabung Haji (TH) were charged today with cheating the agency’s board of directors in connection with the payment of RM3.3 billion in hibah (dividend distributions) for the 2017 financial year.
Former TH CEO Johan Abdullah, 70, and former TH chief financial officer Rozaida Omar, 63, pleaded not guilty after the joint charge was read out to them before judge Norma Ismail at the Kuala Lumpur sessions court.
According to the charge sheet, they allegedly deceived TH's board members by inducing them to approve inflated valuations of the organisation’s investment properties.
The charge sheet stated that both accused prepared and presented papers containing inflated property valuations in TH's unconsolidated financial statements for the financial year ended Dec 31, 2017, despite knowing that the properties should have been valued at lower market prices.
The alleged offence enabled TH to pay RM3.3 billion in hibah to depositors for the 2017 financial year.
The three properties involved were the TH Platinum Park building, TH Perdana building and TH Selborne building.
The offence was allegedly committed between 3pm and 10.30pm on Feb 9, 2018 at Menara TH Tun Razak along Jalan Tun Razak.
They were charged under Section 417 of the Penal Code, read together with Section 34 of the same code. The offence carries a maximum jail term of five years, a fine or both, upon conviction.
The court set bail at RM60,000 with one surety for each accused and fixed Dec 8 for mention, pending the submission of documents.
Deputy public prosecutors Nazran Sham, Rohaiza Rahman and Siti Aina Rodhiah Shikh conducted the prosecution.
Rozaida was represented by lawyer Shamsul Sulaiman while Johan was represented by lawyers Shukri Mohamed and Malissa Shukri.