SHAH ALAM: A primary school headmistress has pleaded not guilty at the Sessions Court to one charge of falsifying a financial aid document five years ago.
Azatulakmal Abd Razak,54, made the plea before judge Datuk Anita Harun.
Azatulakmal is accused of fraudulently using a forged document as genuine for a school-level aid disbursement at Sekolah Kebangsaan Petaling Jaya in 2019.
She was charged under Section 471 of the Penal Code for the offence. If found guilty, she can be jailed for up to two years or fined or both.
Prosecuting officer Mohd Alimi Mustapha asked the court to set bail at RM10,000 and for the accused's passport to be surrendered and to report to the nearest Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission office.
Azatulakmal who was unrepresented, pleaded for a lower bail.
"I am supporting my mother and a younger sibling who has mental issues," said the mother of two.
"I was also declared bankrupt by the Insolvency Department and I cannot take any loans for (legal services) for this case," she said.
Anita fixed bail at RM5,000 with one surety.
She told Azatulakmal that she could send a representation letter after obtaining documents from the prosecution after the case mention on Sept 17.
Representation is usually carried out to apply for a retraction or to lower or lessen the charge brought against an accused.
She also ordered Azatulakmal to report to the Shah Alam MACC office on the 7th of each month and surrender her passport to the court.