PKFZ: Ex-GM's case postponed to Oct 26

The case against former Port Klang Authority (PKA) general manager OC Phang, who is charged with criminal breach of trust (CBT) involving the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal, has been put off to Oct 26.
The date was fixed after Klang Sessions Court judge Asmadi Hussain allowed the application of postponement made by the accused.

Lawyer Francis Ng Aik Guan, representing Phang (left), applied to adjourn the case when the hearing started this morning.

Ng argued that the accused was still waiting for the reply from the A-G’s Chambers to an application to make representation for the charges against Phang to be droped.

If accepted, said Ng, it would lead to the case’s disposal “soon”.

Ng also told the court that they needed more time to study 246 documents, which the defence received only today from the prosecution.

Justice Asmadi relented to the postponement despite expressing reservations about the lack of progress in the case for almost a year.

“You know the policy of the court. We cannot postpone the case if the reason is not out of the ordinary," said Asmadi, who fixed four days for hearing, from Oct 26 to 29.

The court also fixed Sept 30 to begin hearing the related cases of Stephen Abok, Law Jenn Dong and Bernard Tan Seng Swee.

Abok's lawyer Hisham The Poh Teik informed the court that his client’s application to make representation to the A-G’s Chambers was rejected.

Phang, 63, is charged, as general manager entrusted with funds in an account with RHB Bank Bhd, with committing CBT of RM98,700,000 at the PKA between Oct 1, 2004, and Sept 5, 2005.

She is also charged with committing two other similar offences involving RM21,600,000 and RM134,550,000 at the same place between Sept 30, 2005, and May 9, 2006, and between June 1, 2005, and Jan 13, 2006.

If convicted, she faces a maximum of 20 years' jail and is also liable to be fined on each charge.

Abok, 51, the former chief operating officer of Kuala Dimensi Sdn Bhd (KDSB), the project developer, and Tan, 48, of consultant BTA Architect, are charged with two counts of cheating the PKA of RM5.42 million on July 31 and Sept 21, 2007.

Tan and former Kuala Dimensi project manager Law Jenn Dong, 51, are also charged with 24 counts of cheating the PKA to get confirmation for the payment of RM116.85 million to KDSB involving two mammoth projects at the PKFZ between June 30, 2006, and May 30, 2008.