A member of royalty and a land broker were separately charged in the Kuala Terengganu Sessions Court today with forging documents

purportedly on the sale of timber trees worth more than RM114 million "on a piece of land belonging to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin and Raja Permaisuri Agong Tuanku Nur Zahirah."

On the first count, Wan Lateff Wan Embong, 54, is charged with forging a document purportedly "an agreement for the sale of standing trees" between Tuanku Mizan and International Ship Industry (M) Sdn Bhd on a 5,113ha site in the Tembat forest reserve area, Mukim Hulu Terengganu, worth RM102 million.

He is also charged with forging a document purportedly an agreement between Tuanku Nur Zahirah and International Ship Industry (M) Sdn Bhd for the sale of timber trees on a site covering 568 hectares worth RM12 million.

Wan Lateff, from Kampung Wakaf Mempelam near Kuala Terengganu, is alleged to have committed the offences on Sept 30 and Oct 5 last year at the legal firm of Messrs Ahmad Shahabudin & Co, 3rd Floor, Wisma Kokitab.

He is charged with forging the documents for the purpose of cheating, an offence under Section 468 of the Penal Code, and faces imprisonment of up to seven years and fine, if found guilty.

Wan Lateff, represented by lawyer Nodin Kassim, pleaded not guilty to both charges.

The other accused Tengku Nikman Tengku Mahmud, 56, from Kajang, Selangor, is charged with abetment in both the cases.

He is alleged to have committed the offences on on Aug 5 and Oct 5 last year at the same place.

Tengku Nikman, a former university assistant registrar and now a lecturer at a private institution of higher learning, also pleaded not guilty and claimed trial to the charges.

Deputy public prosecutor S Devanandan requested for a RM150,000 bail in one surety each and also requested that the case be heard together.

Judge M Bakri Abdul Majid set bail at RM30,000 in one surety on Wan Lateff, while Tengku Nikman was allowed bail of RM20,000 in one surety.

He also ordered both of them to surrender their passports to the court and for the case to be heard jointly.

The court set Sept 22 for mention to allow Tengku Nikman to appoint a lawyer.

- Bernama