TWO men pleaded not guilty at the Magistrate’s Court in Shah Alam today to a charge of cheating an individual into handing over RM140,000 for a datuk seri title.

Rohaized Abd Razak, 49, and Shahferoz Khan Mohamed Ayub Khan, 35, are jointly charged with cheating a 58-year-old man into handing over the cash for the honorific.

They were charged with committing the offence at a restaurant in a shopping centre in the Petaling district between November 10 and December 10, 2022.

The charge, framed under section 420 of the penal code and read together with section 34 of the same law, provides imprisonment for up to 10 years and whipping, and is also liable to fine, upon conviction.

Magistrate Mohamad Redza Azhar Rezali allowed the accused bail of RM9,000 with one surety each and set May 23 for mention.

Deputy public prosecutor Nurul Farah Sofea Norazman represented the people, while lawyers Hazwan Hassan and Rajan Navaratnam represented Rohaized and Shahferoz Khan, respectively. – Bernama, March 21, 2023.