SHAH ALAM (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - Former Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) deputy president Nasharudin Mat Isa claimed trial to three counts of money laundering and 30 counts of criminal breach of trust (CBT) amounting to about RM4 million (S$1.3 million) at the Sessions Court here on Tuesday (Oct 22).
Nasharudin pleaded not guilty to all 33 charges read to him in front of Sessions Court judge Rozilah Salleh.
For the three counts of money laundering, Nasharudin, 57, was charged under Section 4(1)(a) of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001 (AMLA), which carries a prison term of a maximum of 15 years or a fine of five times the amount of money gained from the illegal activity or RM5 million, whichever is higher, upon conviction.
He had allegedly committed the offence at the Country Heights CIMB Bank branch between November and December 2018.
For the 30 counts of CBT, he was charged under Section 409 of the Penal Code, which carries a prison term of no less than two years and no more than 20 years and with whipping and liable to a fine upon conviction.
He had allegedly committed the offence at the Country Heights CIMB Bank branch and Menara Felda Maybank branch between 2015 and 2018.
Judge Rozilah set bail at RM80,000 with one surety for the three counts of money laundering and RM250,000 with one surety for the 30 CBT charges.
Nasharudin also has to surrender his passport to the court until the case is over.
The prosecution was led by Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Deputy Public Prosecutors Allan Suman Pillai and Mohd Zaki Mohd Salleh, while Nasharudin's legal team was led by lawyer Md Yunos Shariff.
Nasharudin was deputy president of the Islamist party for five years from 2005, but left PAS after a fallout following his attempts to initiative closer ties with then political archrival Umno after the 2008 general election.
He was later made chief of the Global Movement of Moderates Foundation established in 2012 by then-premier Najib Razak.
