TWO senior officers of Mara Corporation Sdn Bhd (Mara Corp) were charged in the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court today with five counts of using their office for gratification by approving payments of their acting allowance without the approval of the board of directors.

Former acting chief executive officer Noor Irwan Marmi, 44, and former group corporate finance director Rizal Abdul Gani, 44, claimed trial to all the charges read out separately to them before judge Suzana Hussin.

According to the five charges, Noor Irwan, 44, as the then CEO of the company, was charged with using his position to obtain gratification by approving the Mara Corp internal memo dated between September 15, 2021 and January 20 this year.

The document concerned a matter he had interest in, which was the payment of his acting allowance, amounting to RM46,281.75, without the approval of the board.

Rizal was alleged to have used his position to obtain gratification by approving Mara Corp’s internal memo, dated between September 15, 2021 and January 20 last year, involving acting allowance payment amounting to RM40,875 for himself without the approval of the board.

They were charged with committing the offence at level 20, Menara Mara, at Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman, between September 17, 2021 and January 21, 2022.

The charges were framed under section 23(1) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009, which carries a maximum 20 years’ jail and fine of not less than five times the value of the gratification or RM10,000, whichever is higher.

Noor Irwan, represented by lawyer Mohd Ozier Farhan Mohd Khanafeh, was allowed bail of RM45,000, while Rizal, who was unrepresented, was allowed bail of RM40,000.

Both of them were also ordered to surrender their passports and to report themselves at the nearest MACC office once a month.

The court set August 23 for mention of both cases.

MACC deputy public prosecutors A. Kala Vani and Nurul Atiqah Mohamad Alias prosecuted in both cases. – Bernama, July 21, 2022.