B Reghu, 61, a director of Syarikat QCDMS Eraminda Consultants Sdn Bhd, faces 23 alternative charges of cheating by claiming RM100,625.

He is accused of committing the offences at the Mitra office in Putrajaya by submitting the claims to R Kavithah, an assistant director with the agency, on May 5, 2021.

He claimed trial to the charges that an interpreter took nearly an hour to read.

The 35 counts are framed under Section 18 of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act, which states that any person who provides documents such as receipts and invoices that are false or contain false details with the intention to deceive is said to have committed an offence.

Those found guilty are liable to be jailed for up to 20 years and a fine of not less than five times the sum involved.

For the alternative charges under Section 417 of the Penal Code, Reghu faces a jail term of up to five years or a fine or both if convicted.

Deputy public prosecutor Mohd Afif Ali proposed bail of M50,000 while lawyer Ariff Firman Mohd Sidek suggested RM10,000. “We urge that the accused be allowed to post the bail amount in instalments as his bank accounts had been frozen,” Ariff said.

Sessions court judge Azura Alwi granted bail of RM25,000 in one surety and fixed the case for mention on March 23.

She ordered Reghu to post RM10,000 today and the balance by next Wednesday.

Azura also ordered the accused, who hails from Melaka, to report to the MACC state headquarters once a month pending the outcome of the trial.