A Singaporean businessman pleaded not guilty in the Sessions Court here today to a charge of criminal breach of trust involving 500,000 shares belonging to a company, four years ago.
Poh Po Lian, 68, entered the plea after the charge was read out to him before Judge Rosli Ahmad.
According to the charge, Poh, together with another individual who remains at large, allegedly committed criminal breach of trust regarding shares in Victoria Island Club Berhad which had been entrusted to them by Tan Sri Ta Kin Yan by transferring them to Jennifer Kok Sau Keng without the consent of six individuals who were entitled to receive a portion of those shares.
The act was allegedly committed at a residential unit in Solaris Dutamas, Jalan Dutamas 1, near here, on July 31, 2022.
The charge is brought under Section 406 of the Penal Code, read together with Section 34 of the same Code, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment, whipping, and a fine, upon conviction.
Earlier, deputy public prosecutor Dr. Ifa Sirrhu Samsudin proposed bail at RM1 million with two sureties, one of whom must be a Malaysian citizen with a permanent address in the country.
“The prosecution also recommends an additional condition for the accused to report to the nearest Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) office once a month and is prohibited from interfering with any witnesses in this case.
“We do not intend to request that the accused’s passport be impounded, given that he is a foreign national and the document is essential for his travel to and from Singapore. Given these factors, we believe a bail amount of RM1 million is appropriate,” he said.
Lawyer Datuk Jerald Gomez, representing Poh, requested a lower bail amount, noting that his client holds a pass under the ‘Malaysia My Second Home’ (MM2H) programme, having resided and conducted business in Malaysia for over 30 years.
“My client owns various companies and assets in Malaysia. He also possesses properties in strategic locations across the country, including at Pavilion Bukit Bintang and in Penang. There is no flight risk,” he said.
Judge Rosli granted bail at RM400,000 with two Malaysian sureties, and imposed additional conditions that the accused must not interfere with prosecution witnesses and must report to the nearest MACC (Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission) office once a month.
The court has set December 8 for the next mention of the case.
