Akauntan mengaku tak salah bantu syarikat elak cukai RM2.5 juta

A 63-year-old accountant pleaded not guilty in George Town High Court over allegations of assisting and advising a company to submit misleading income statements that led to a tax shortfall of more than RM2.5 million from the Local Revenue Authority (LHDN) five years ago, reports Berita Harian. Chew Ai Keow appeared before High Court Judge Noor Idayu Salim after the charges were read out.

The accused is accused of helping and advising Penshrimp Fishery Sdn Bhd to include income from sales transactions worth RM10,678,133.00 in the company's income statement, even though it should have been recorded. This misconduct allegedly occurred at an address in Hexagon Tech Park, Pulau Pinang, between January and March 2021, when he was appointed as the company's accounting representative.

This action resulted in an income statement presented under Section 77A(1) of the Income Tax Act 1967 in Form C of the company for the 2020 estimated year dated March 25, 2021, which was submitted to the LHDN and claimed a tax refund of RM2,526,144.24. She is charged under Subsection 114(1A) of the Income Tax Act 1967, which prescribes penalties of RM2,000 or more but not more than RM20,000 or imprisonment for up to three years or both, if convicted of the offense.

LHDN prosecutor Azniwati Yahya offered RM10,000 bail with a surety, but the lawyer, N Dylan, requested the court to set bail at the minimum rate due to the mother's financial instability preventing her from fleeing the country due to her family and ongoing work in Pulau Pinang. The court allowed the accused to be detained on a RM4,000 bail with a surety, with the next hearing scheduled for October 28.