KAMPAR – A former bank officer was charged at the Magistrate’s Court here today with two counts of cheating in connection with non-existent investment schemes involving losses of more than RM110,000, two years ago.

M. Patmanathan, 43, however, pleaded not guilty to all the charges which were read out by an interpreter before Magistrate A. Hafiizh Abu Bakar.

According to the charge sheet, Patmanathan is accused of deceiving two individuals, a 32-year-old man in March 2021 and a 52-year-old woman in October 2021, to transfer money as an investment in ‘Maybank Bond’ and ‘Hwang Bond’, resulting in both victims incurring losses of RM30,000 and RM80,600, respectively.

The accused is alleged to have committed the offences at Maybank Kampar Branch and is charged under Section 420 of the Penal Code which provides for a jail term of up to 10 years, whipping and a fine, upon conviction.

Deputy public prosecutor M. Esther Jacyntha offered bail of RM40,000 for all charges. However, lawyer Baldip Singh Santokh Singh, who represented the accused, appealed for a reduced bail on the grounds that the accused was married and had three children.

The court then set bail at RM8,000 in one surety for the first charge and RM15,000 in one surety for the second charge.

The court also fixed July 26 for the re-mention of the case. – Bernama