Accused: Gabriel arriving at the Magistrate’s Court in Ipoh where he was charged with deceiving a man. — Bernama
IPOH: A 66-year-old former clerk at a legal firm pleaded not guilty at a Magistrate’s Court here to a charge of deceiving a man into making payments of over RM300,000 for the offer of a land lease owned by the Perak State Agricultural Development Corporation (PPPNP).
M. Gabriel Youshua, who came to the court using a walker, claimed trial to the charge before magistrate Siti Nora Sharif yesterday.
He was charged under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating, which provides for a jail term of between one and 10 years, whipping and a fine upon conviction.
According to the charge sheet, on April 14, 2022, at about 10am, Gabriel at a law firm in Greentown Square here, had allegedly deceived an individual by the name of K. Suppan to make payments via two cheques amounting to RM110,417.25 and RM220,834.50 for the lease of a piece of land belonging to PPPNP.
The charge sheet also mentioned that the individual would not have made the payments if he was not duped into doing so by the accused.
Deputy public prosecutor Nur Aqilah Syaza Ariffin requested for bail to be set at RM20,000.
Lawyer K. Nahtan, who represented Gabriel, requested for a lower bail of RM5,000, stating that his client could no longer work as he was having difficulty walking.
“He can be considered as a disabled person. He is a divorcee. Bail is set to ensure that the accused appears in court, and my client is not a flight risk,” he added.
Siti Nora set bail at RM5,000 with one surety, and fixed Oct 11 for mention.
The accused posted bail.
