Perak excos' graft case fixed for next year
Athi VeerangganPublished: Sep 15, 2008 10:48 AM | Updated: Jan 31, 2009 9:50 PM
Ipoh Sessions Court today fixed Feb 10 next year to hear the 16 corruption charges against two Perak government executive councillors and three others.
Ipoh Sessions Court today fixed Feb 10 next year to hear the 16 corruption charges against two Perak government executive councillors and three others.
Sessions Court judge Tan Hooi Leng also dismissed the defence’s request to have separate hearings in Penang for five of the cases allegedly committed in the island state, and decided to hold a single trial for all charges in her court.
She concurred with the prosecution’s argument that the court can use its discretion under the Criminal Procedure Code to decide where and how the trials can be conducted.
On Aug 25, the two Perak PKR legislators, Jamaluddin Mohd Radzi and Mohd Osman Mohd Jailu, were charged along with three others - PKR Parit division chief and former Bota assemblyperson Usaili Alias, Perak Tengah district councillor Zul Hassan and State Economic Development Corporation (SEDC) technician Ruslan Sahat.
All five, who are out on bail, pleaded not guilty to all charges and claimed trial. The case was up for mention today.
Originally the charges were to be heard in two separate courts.
But Tan decided to hold a single trial for all cases for “everyone’s convenience” in rejecting arguments made by lead counsel Gurbachan Singh that the court has no jurisdiction to hear the Penang cases.
“The court reserves the right to decide whether or not the trials should be separated. A single court trial is amicable to all,” she said, setting three days from Feb 10 to hear the case.
The defence team comprised 13 lawyers, while the Anti-Corruption Agency prosecution team is headed by DPP Abdul Razak Musa and assisted by Mohd Shahrullah Khan Nawab Khan.
While delivering her decision today, Tan also ticked off the accused for ‘being in a jovial mood’ during the proceeding.
“What’s so funny about this case? This is not a laughing matter. All of you (accused) should pay attention to these serious allegations,” said the judge before a packed court room.
Charges involving bribes and sex
The five have been either separately or jointly charged with total 16 counts of corruption allegations in relations to a RM180 million housing project spanning 36 hectares in Sri Iskandar, some 30-minutes south of Ipoh.
Technician Ruslan was slapped with seven counts of graft involving sex and cash.
Five of the charges involved bribes of between RM400 and RM10,000, and demand of sex from a woman through one, Mohamad Imran Abdullah, in return for approving a building project in Sri Iskandar town, an offence under the Section 10(a)(aa) of the Anti-Corruption Act.
Two other charges were one for an alleged RM2,000 bribe and the other for demanding sexual favours from Mohamad Imran.
The crime allegedly took place on Aug 14 at the Sri Sayang Apartment in Batu Feringhi, Penang.
Meanwhile, state exco Jamaluddin and former state assemblyperson Usaili were jointly charged for allegedly receiving RM5,000 from Mohamad Imran on Aug 14 at the Perak secretariat to approve the project.
Usaili also faced four counts of alleged bribes between RM1,000 and RM9,000 from Mohamad Imran on various dates and venues.
In addition, state exco Mohd Osman and Usaili faced three other charges – one, for accepting RM5,000 from Mohamad Imran on Aug 16 at Aquarius Restaurant and Bar, Hotel Summit Hotel, Bukit Mertajam, Penang; two, asking RM100,000 bribe from Mohamad Imran at the same place and time for approving the Sri Iskandar building project; and lastly, receiving RM100,000 bribe from the same person on Aug 19 at Restoran Kluang Station Café, Bandar Ipoh Raya.
District councillor Zul Hassan was charged with asking for sex with a woman from Mohamad Imran on Aug 14 at Sri Sayang Apartment, Batu Feringhi, Penang.
Perak excos claim they were framed
The two Perak excos, claiming that they were framed, have filed a RM100 million defamation suit on Aug 26 against the ACA, its director–general Ahmad Said Hamdan and Perak director Samsiah Abu Bakar.
Jamaluddin, who is Behrang assemblyperson, and Mohd Osman (Changkat Jering) claimed that the ACA orchestrated their arrest with ulterior motives and had implicated them to tarnished their image and jeopardise PKR’s chance to win the Permatang Pauh by-election polls on Aug 26.
Jamaluddin is in charge of state government’s entrepreneur development, cooperatives, agriculture and trade portfolios, while Mohd Osman is charge of tourism, human capital development and non-government organisations.
Perak Menteri Besar Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin, when faced with calls to suspend both Jamaluddin and Mohd Osman from state cabinet until the trial was over, refused to do so claiming the charges were part of a political conspiracy and that the housing project did not exist.
Sessions Court judge Tan Hooi Leng also dismissed the defence’s request to have separate hearings in Penang for five of the cases allegedly committed in the island state, and decided to hold a single trial for all charges in her court.
She concurred with the prosecution’s argument that the court can use its discretion under the Criminal Procedure Code to decide where and how the trials can be conducted.
On Aug 25, the two Perak PKR legislators, Jamaluddin Mohd Radzi and Mohd Osman Mohd Jailu, were charged along with three others - PKR Parit division chief and former Bota assemblyperson Usaili Alias, Perak Tengah district councillor Zul Hassan and State Economic Development Corporation (SEDC) technician Ruslan Sahat.
All five, who are out on bail, pleaded not guilty to all charges and claimed trial. The case was up for mention today.
Originally the charges were to be heard in two separate courts.
But Tan decided to hold a single trial for all cases for “everyone’s convenience” in rejecting arguments made by lead counsel Gurbachan Singh that the court has no jurisdiction to hear the Penang cases.
“The court reserves the right to decide whether or not the trials should be separated. A single court trial is amicable to all,” she said, setting three days from Feb 10 to hear the case.
The defence team comprised 13 lawyers, while the Anti-Corruption Agency prosecution team is headed by DPP Abdul Razak Musa and assisted by Mohd Shahrullah Khan Nawab Khan.
While delivering her decision today, Tan also ticked off the accused for ‘being in a jovial mood’ during the proceeding.
“What’s so funny about this case? This is not a laughing matter. All of you (accused) should pay attention to these serious allegations,” said the judge before a packed court room.
Charges involving bribes and sex
The five have been either separately or jointly charged with total 16 counts of corruption allegations in relations to a RM180 million housing project spanning 36 hectares in Sri Iskandar, some 30-minutes south of Ipoh.
Technician Ruslan was slapped with seven counts of graft involving sex and cash.
Five of the charges involved bribes of between RM400 and RM10,000, and demand of sex from a woman through one, Mohamad Imran Abdullah, in return for approving a building project in Sri Iskandar town, an offence under the Section 10(a)(aa) of the Anti-Corruption Act.
Two other charges were one for an alleged RM2,000 bribe and the other for demanding sexual favours from Mohamad Imran.
The crime allegedly took place on Aug 14 at the Sri Sayang Apartment in Batu Feringhi, Penang.
Meanwhile, state exco Jamaluddin and former state assemblyperson Usaili were jointly charged for allegedly receiving RM5,000 from Mohamad Imran on Aug 14 at the Perak secretariat to approve the project.
Usaili also faced four counts of alleged bribes between RM1,000 and RM9,000 from Mohamad Imran on various dates and venues.
In addition, state exco Mohd Osman and Usaili faced three other charges – one, for accepting RM5,000 from Mohamad Imran on Aug 16 at Aquarius Restaurant and Bar, Hotel Summit Hotel, Bukit Mertajam, Penang; two, asking RM100,000 bribe from Mohamad Imran at the same place and time for approving the Sri Iskandar building project; and lastly, receiving RM100,000 bribe from the same person on Aug 19 at Restoran Kluang Station Café, Bandar Ipoh Raya.
District councillor Zul Hassan was charged with asking for sex with a woman from Mohamad Imran on Aug 14 at Sri Sayang Apartment, Batu Feringhi, Penang.
Perak excos claim they were framed
The two Perak excos, claiming that they were framed, have filed a RM100 million defamation suit on Aug 26 against the ACA, its director–general Ahmad Said Hamdan and Perak director Samsiah Abu Bakar.
Jamaluddin, who is Behrang assemblyperson, and Mohd Osman (Changkat Jering) claimed that the ACA orchestrated their arrest with ulterior motives and had implicated them to tarnished their image and jeopardise PKR’s chance to win the Permatang Pauh by-election polls on Aug 26.
Jamaluddin is in charge of state government’s entrepreneur development, cooperatives, agriculture and trade portfolios, while Mohd Osman is charge of tourism, human capital development and non-government organisations.
Perak Menteri Besar Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin, when faced with calls to suspend both Jamaluddin and Mohd Osman from state cabinet until the trial was over, refused to do so claiming the charges were part of a political conspiracy and that the housing project did not exist.
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