UiTM lecturer denies charges of colluding in RM38,000 fraud

SHAH ALAM: A lecturer from Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) pleaded not guilty in the Sessions Court today to 18 charges related to conspiring to submit false salary payment claims amounting to RM38,000 for research work conducted between 2021 and 2022.

Professor Dr. Hapizah Md Nawawi, 64, faces allegations of collaborating with a 28-year-old local woman to deceive four other individuals regarding the payment for research assistant salaries for a project titled ‘Mechanism of Drone-Assisted Technology on Efficiency of Mass Disaster Victim Identification (DVI).’ The claims were falsified as the research work was not actually performed.

The charges were brought under Section 18 and Section 28(1)(c) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009 and could result in a penalty under Section 24(2) of the same act. If convicted, Dr. Hapizah faces up to 20 years in prison and a fine up to five times the value of the bribe or RM10,000, whichever is higher.

At the court, MACC deputy public prosecutor Muaz Ahmad Khairuddin proposed bail of RM20,000 to RM30,000 with one surety, along with conditions to report to the nearest MACC office at the start of each month, surrender his passport to the court, and refrain from contacting case witnesses.

Defense counsel Shamsul Sulaiman did not oppose the conditions but requested that his client retain his passport due to frequent international work commitments and sought a lower bail amount.

Judge Datuk Anita Harun set bail at RM30,000 with one surety, requiring Dr. Hapizah to report to the Selangor MACC Office in the first week of each month and forbidding any interference with witnesses. The court granted permission for Dr. Hapizah to retain his passport, citing no risk of flight.

The case is scheduled for re-mention and document submission on September 23.