Prosecutors today charged two senior officers of a state-owned agency with embezzling state funds as Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's anti-corruption campaign continued to bite.

Shaharin Shaharudin, 46, the former chief executive officer of Perbadanan Nasional Bhd, an investment agency to help entreprenuers, was charged with criminal breach of trust amounting to RM460,000, the Bernama news agency reported.

Shaharin was also charged alongside the agency's former corporate services general manager Mislina Hanim Ibrahim, 44, with corruption involving the purchase of gym equipment worth RM2,900.

Pleaded not guilty

Both men pleaded not guilty at the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court and were granted bail of RM15,000.

Their case follows the surprise arrests last week of a cabinet minister and a tycoon as Abdullah implemented a pledge to crack down on corruption made when he took over from former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad on Oct 31.

Lands and Cooperative Development Minister Kasitah Gaddam was charged with corruption over multi-million dollar share transactions while the former head of troubled steel giant Perwaja, Eric Chia, was charged with embezzling RM76.4 million. - AFP