KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 22 — A former employee of a pay-television station, facing 743 charges of modifying the company’s database system, has been found fit to stand trial.
Deputy public prosecutor Rohaiza Abd Rahman informed the Sessions Court of this development during mention proceedings for the case of Nora Idayu Jaafar, 48, before Judge Suhaila Haron.
Rohaiza told the court that a report from Hospital Bahagia Tanjong Rambutan confirmed that during the entire period the alleged offences took place, from Oct 30, 2013, to Aug 20, 2020, the accused was of sound mind and fully aware of the nature and consequences of her actions.
“The accused is therefore fit to plead and stand trial,” said Rohaiza.
The accused’s counsel, Daniel Annamalai, acknowledged the findings and requested the court set a future date for the reading of the charges, citing his client’s need for additional time to arrange for bail.
The Court subsequently set Sept 29 and 30, and Oct 1, for the next mention to hear the reading of the remaining charges.
On June 26, it took nearly two hours to read 132 of the 743 charges against Nora Idayu, while only 30 charges were heard in a prior session on June 4, as it was cut short after the accused fainted.
As per the charges already read, Nora Idayu, who was employed in the company’s Commercial Support Unit, is accused of unlawfully modifying data by converting standard customer accounts to corporate accounts without authorisation, allegedly knowing they would cause unauthorised modifications to the database content.
The offences were allegedly committed in 2014 at the Astro Office, Icon Tower, Jalan Tun Razak.
The charges were brought under Section 5(1) of the Computer Crimes Act 1997, which provides for a maximum penalty of a RM100,000 fine, a prison term of up to seven years, or both, upon conviction.
The court granted the accused bail of RM10,000 with one surety, subject to conditions including the surrender of her passport and a requirement to report monthly to a nearby police station pending the case’s disposal. — Bernama
