Not enough to charge Sarawak CM's son: DPP
The Attorney General's Chambers did not have enough evidence to charge Sulaiman Abdul Rahman Taib, son of Sarawak Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud, for alleged assault, deputy public prosecutor Stanley Augustin said.
As such, Sulaiman who is also Bank Utama director will not be brought to court, he said.
"The police investigation papers were sent to me on May 2. After perusing the documents, I found that there was lack of proof to prosecute any individual," Augustin was quoted in the Star as saying today.
Despite police recommendation, the Attorney-General Chambers has decided that they would not charge the 'Dato' Sri' for alleged assault as there was not enough evidence to do so. This means Sulaiman Abdul Rahman Taib will go scot-free.
The Attorney General's Chambers did not have enough evidence to charge Sulaiman Abdul Rahman Taib, son of Sarawak Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud, for alleged assault, deputy public prosecutor Stanley Augustin said.
As such, Sulaiman who is also Bank Utama director will not be brought to court, he said.
"The police investigation papers were sent to me on May 2. After perusing the documents, I found that there was lack of proof to prosecute any individual," Augustin was quoted in the Star as saying today.
Instruction given
"The instruction had been given to the CID chief who was in charge of this case," said Augustin, who heads the prosecution unit in Kuala Lumpur.
In her police report made after she was assaulted on April 18, former TV host Avaa Vanja named Sulaiman as her boyfriend who had allegedly pushed and strangled her in a popular bistro in Kuala Lumpur.
She has denied a Malay daily report that jealousy was the reason leading to her being assaulted by Sulaiman. The paper reported that Sulaiman became furious when she found him with another woman at the bistro.
Sulaiman 35, is married to Anisa Chan 31, daughter of Sarawak Deputy Chief Minister Dr George Chan. The couple has four children.
Besides being director of Bank Utama, Sulaiman is also the group chairman of Cahya Mata Sarawak Bhd and Rashid Hussain Bhd's executive chairman.
In a press statement dated April 23, Sulaiman expressed his disappointment in the manner in which the incident was reported by certain newspapers.
"The incident relates to me personally and has nothing to do with my father," he said.
Sulaiman is said to be Taib's most favoured son and the incident is believed to have caused the chief minister much anguish and stress.
Identity concealed
When the case was first highlighted in the press, many Sarawakians contacted malaysiakini to express their unhappiness at what they perceived as police attempt to conceal the identity of Sulaiman.
"Just because he is a Dato' Sri and the son of the Sarawak chief minister, the police chose to ''shelter'' him. If a report was lodged against Ahmad, Ah Kow or Muthu, we can be sure the identity will be revealed," one irate reader fumed.
It was only through the persistent probing of reporters, notably those from the Malay Mail, that the Dato' Sri was identified as Sulaiman Abdul Rahman Taib. The paper had front-paged reports of the case three times since it emerged.
On April 30, Kuala Lumpur CID chief SAC Kamaruddin Mat Desa told the press that the police has recommended that Sulaiman be charged with assault.
"Our recommendation was based following a thorough investigation. We are awaiting the DPP's order for the next course of action," he was quoted in the New Straits Times as saying that day.
