Missing jet engines: Two charged

Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) sergeant N Tharmendran, 42, and company director Rajandran Prasad Kusy, 38, were today charged in the Petaling Jaya Sessions Court in connection with the two missing RMAF F5 J85-21 jet engines.

Tharmendran was charged with stealing and abetting in the crime while Rajandran faced a charge of handling stolen properties. Both were also charged with conspiring to steal the engines.

Tharmendran (right) was charged under Section 380 and 109 of the Penal Code for collaborating with senior airman Mohamad Shukri Mohamad Yusop for the theft of the engines at an air base in Sungai Besi.

However, Mohamad Shukri was not charged today.

Rajandran was charged under Section 414 of the Penal Code for abetting in the disposal of two F5 J85-21 jet engines at Subang Industrial Park on April 30, 2008, with reasonable knowledge that they were stolen properties.

Both Tharmendran and Rajandran claimed trial before Sessions judge Aslam Zainuddin. Deputy public prosecutors Raja Rozela Raja Toran and Syed Faisal Syed Amir prosecuted.

Tharmendran was represented by V Ravichandran while Pritam Singh Doal appeared for Rajandran.

Tharmendran faces 10 years in jail for the theft of the engines while aviation scrap parts dealer Rajandran faces seven years for allegedly disposing of the equipment.

Aslam fixed a bail amount of RM150,000 each for both Tharmendran and Rajandran (left). The case will be heard jointly on Feb 11.

In mitigation, Rajandran's lawyer Pritam told the court that Rajandran's properties were frozen by the authorities and his passport has been confiscated. His wife's property too, has been frozen.

The jets engines were found missing in 2007 while being taken for a routine maintenance from the 12th Squadron (Scorpion) in Butterworth to the RMAF godown in Kuala Lumpur.

The jet engines were discovered stolen by RMAF on May 22, 2008 and a police report was lodged on Aug 4 the same year.

Earlier, the attorney general revealed that the stolen items have been traced to Argentina and was transported to Uruguay thereafter.

Defence Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had revealed that apart from the two engines, other related equipment had also gone missing.

Unclear whether more will be hauled to court

Raja Rozela said she had "no more instructions" on whether other figures were to be charged over the scandal, which has triggered allegations of official corruption.

The two Northrop F5 J85-21 jet engines were reportedly sold on the black market by military officers to a South American company.

Police traced the engines to Argentina, but reports later said they were then shipped to Uruguay.

Investigating officer Wan Zainulddin said outside the court that police had travelled to Uruguay to search for the missing equipment.

Tharmendran's lawyer Ravichandran (right) said that sergeant Tharmendran worked in a different air force base to the one where the engines were stolen from.

"Who is responsible for moving the engines? Why should my client plead guilty? asked Ravichandran.

"He was in no way responsible for the theft," the lawyer told AFP.

He said that Tharmendran's only involvement in the case had been to respond to a query from a friend of Rajandran who wanted to know if there were any second-hand engines for sale.

Armed forces chief Azizan Ariffin has said the theft was only the "tip of the iceberg" after a newly completed audit revealed equipment worth millions of ringgit was missing including other jet fighter parts.

A number of countries subject to US arms embargoes, including Iran, Sudan and Venezuela, have F5 jet fighters that use the antiquated engines.

The jet first flew in 1963 and Northrop ended production in 1989.

AG: More may be charged

Meanwhile in another development, AG Abdul Gani Patail said that there was a possibility of more people, including foreigners, being charged in connection with this case.

"I will charge them, I have no problems. We will bring them to the book, including by extraditing them," he said.

"What is very important to us is the recovery of the engines... we are doing our very level best. I already dispatched requests to several foreign countries. We are trying to trace the engines," he added.

He also said that he was unable to state exactly the number of people to be charged.

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