A member of the Malaysian NGO IKRAM Malaysia Association’s Hulu Selangor branch has been charged with 158 counts of corruption involving RM98.3 million, in a major anti-graft case linked to an ongoing investigation into alleged misappropriation of public funds.

The accused, Fakhrudin Abd Karim, 57, pleaded not guilty to all charges when they were read before the Sessions Court in Shah Alam on Tuesday, local media reported.

According to court documents, Fakhrudin allegedly abused his position as an authorised signatory of IKRAM Hulu Selangor’s bank account to facilitate transactions worth RM98,270,315.20 between 2021 and 2025.

Of the total charges, 149 counts relate to allegations that he transferred RM81.95 million from the organisation’s funds through separate transactions into the account of another non-governmental organisation in which he allegedly had an interest.

The remaining nine charges accuse him of transferring RM16.32 million from the same NGO into two personal bank accounts under his control.

The alleged offences were committed between January 6, 2021 and August 6, 2025, at the IKRAM Malaysia Hulu Selangor branch office in Bukit Beruntung.

The charges were filed under Section 23(1) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009, which carries a maximum prison sentence of 20 years and a fine of at least five times the value involved, or RM10,000, whichever is higher, upon conviction.

During the hearing, Deputy Public Prosecutor Datuk Ahmad Akram Gharib sought bail of RM1 million with two sureties, citing the large amount involved, while also requesting that the accused surrender his passport and refrain from contacting prosecution witnesses.

However, defence lawyer Datuk N. Sivanathan requested lower bail of RM300,000, arguing that authorities had already frozen bank accounts belonging to Fakhrudin, his family members and several associated companies.

The defence told the court that seven companies linked to the accused had been affected, leaving employees unpaid for nearly three months and severely disrupting business operations.

After hearing both sides, the court set bail at RM500,000 with two local sureties, ordered the surrender of the accused’s passport and barred him from interfering with prosecution witnesses.

The court fixed August 7 for the next hearing. The case is part of a wider MACC investigation into the alleged misappropriation of around RM230 million in public funds involving individuals connected to an NGO.

Earlier, authorities detained two suspects for nine days as part of the probe. Under Ops Sutera, investigators seized 18 luxury vehicles, houses and properties worth around RM11 million, along with cash, luxury watches and other assets, while 33 bank accounts holding nearly RM120 million were also frozen.