Court acquits retired Risda employee of six misappropriation charges involving RM15,350 in association funds

KUALA TERENGGANU, Oct 25 — The Sessions Court here today discharged and acquitted a retired Rubber Industry Smallholders Development Authority (Risda) employee of six charges of misappropriating RM15,350 in association funds about 10 years ago.

Judge Azman Mustapha made the decision after finding that the prosecution had failed to establish a prima facie case against Mohd Amran Ghazali, 61, at the close of the defence case.

“I have considered the case against the accused and found that the money used by the accused was for Risda state (association) programmes, and this is consistent with the testimony of the 7th prosecution witness,” Azman said in his judgment.

The court also ordered the return of the accused’s earlier bail of RM6,000.

In 2021, Mohd Amran, then serving as an administrative assistant at the Terengganu Risda Office, was charged with six counts of misappropriating RM15,350 between 2016 and 2017.

Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) deputy public prosecutor Nur Amalina Najwa Mohd Ali appeared for the prosecution, while Mohd Amran was represented by lawyer Muhammad Abdul Rahman Ab Razak. — Bernama