A company secretary has claimed trial in the Sessions Court here to four charges of submitting false statements to the Companies Commission of Malaysia (SSM) under the Companies Act 2016.
Norhaslinda Addenan pleaded not guilty before Sessions Court Judge Ainul Shahrin Mohamad on July 23 to four charges under Section 593(b) of the Companies Act 2016, which relates to making false statements to the Registrar of Companies.
According to the charge sheets, Norhaslinda allegedly made false declarations by naming accounting firm Hisham & Co. as the auditor of ANZ Ecotech Resources Sdn. Bhd., despite the firm never having conducted an audit of the company.
The first charge relates to the company’s Statement of Account dated Dec 31, 2017, while the remaining three charges involve the submission of Section 68 Annual Return of Company Having a Share Capital forms for the financial years 2017, 2018 and 2019.
If convicted, she faces penalties under Section 593 of the Companies Act 2016, which carries a maximum imprisonment term of 10 years, a fine of up to RM3 million, or both.
The court allowed Norhaslinda bail of RM5,000 with one surety for all four charges.
The case has been fixed for Sept 10 for further mention to enable the prosecution to hand over relevant documents and for the accused to appoint legal representation.
The prosecution was conducted by SSM prosecuting officer Tengku Nor Zurairah Tengku Abdul Aziz, while the accused was unrepresented.
In a statement, SSM reiterated that it would continue to take enforcement action against individuals found to have submitted false or misleading statements, information or reports to the commission.
The commission said it remains committed to ensuring compliance with the laws under its purview while promoting integrity, accountability and good corporate governance within Malaysia’s corporate sector.
