Six accused of abducting Chinese national with four others at large
SEPANG: A married couple and four others have been charged with kidnapping a Chinese national last month and demanding a ransom of USDT1mil (RM4.44mil) in cryptocurrency.
Chen Jun Hiong, 28; Law Han Wei, 28; Dhinnesh Tan Kin Yuan, 29; Jong Li Jiat, 25; and husband and wife Loh Wei Jian and Wong Xiao Yen, both 29; pleaded not guilty to the charges before Sessions Court judge Amir Affendy Hamzah here yesterday.
According to the charge sheet, the six, along with four other individuals still at large, are accused of wrongfully detaining the Chinese man for a ransom amounting to USDT1,007,696.
USDT is the symbol for Tether, a cryptocurrency that is pegged to the US dollar.
The offence was allegedly committed at the Cyberjaya exit of the Maju Expressway (MEX) on July 11 at about 11am.
The charges under Section 3 (1) of the Kidnapping Act 1961, read together with Section 34 of the Penal Code, provide for a minimum prison sentence of 30 years or a maximum of 40 years and caning, if convicted.
The prosecution was handled by deputy public prosecutor Mohamed Wafi Husain while the accused were represented by counsels G. Freda Sabapathy (Chen), Mohd Zali Shaari (Law), Nur Aminahtul Mardiah Md Nor (Tan), P. Haresh (Jong) and Bernard Francis (Loh and Wong), Bernama reported.During the proceedings, Mohamed Wafi did not propose any bail as the offence is non- bailable.
However, each defence counsel requested bail for their client, which the court rejected.
“After considering all arguments and the nature of the charges, the court has decided that bail will not be granted,” the judge said, setting Oct 8 for the submission of documents.
Earlier this week, it was reported that police are still tracking down four more suspects believed to have been involved in the kidnapping near the MEX toll plaza, Cyberjaya, on July 11.
Selangor police chief Datuk Hussein Omar Khan confirmed that the four suspects – three men and a woman – were part of an 18-member gang responsible for planning and executing the kidnapping.
They are believed to still be in the country.
On Aug 3, police shot and killed four suspects in a shootout in Skudai, Johor. The suspects were also believed to be involved in the kidnapping case.
PETALING JAYA: Anonymity, speed and global accessibility are some of the reasons why cybercriminals prefer to demand ransom to be paid in cryptocurrency, say criminologists.
Financial forensics expert Raymon Ram said unlike traditional financial systems, cryptocurrency transactions can occur without intermediaries.
“The irreversible nature of these transactions ensures that once the ransom is paid, victims cannot recover the funds, offering criminals a level of security,” he added.
Raymon also said that by using digital currency, criminals such as kidnappers could easily launder the ransom money by leveraging on the pseudo-anonymity and decentralised nature of cryptocurrency systems.
“After receiving the ransom, typically in popular cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin or stablecoins like USDT, criminals often employ tactics such as mixing services and chain-hopping.
“Mixing services obscure the transaction trail by blending the ransom with other funds, while chain-hopping involves converting the cryptocurrency across different platforms and coins, making it harder to trace.”
Raymon said enforcing strict identity verification and transaction monitoring can make it harder for criminals to launder their illicit gains.
Criminologist Datuk Seri Dr Akhbar Satar agreed, saying that using cryptocurrency as ransom has been some criminals’ modus operandi as it would be harder for authorities to trace them.
Akhbar, who is also Malaysian Association of Certified Fraud Examiners president, said that the recently gazetted Cyber Security Act 2024 would also help in enhancing resilience against emerging threats involving cryptocurrency.ttps://dai.ly/x942lqg
Arrest linked to illegal operation of carbon filter factory in Bukit Mertajam
For 10 years, a factory has been illegally burning sawdust to produce carbon for filters, forcing villagers and schoolchildren in parts of Bukit Mertajam to breathe dust-laden smoke every day. The matter has now flared up with the arrest of Penang exco man Phee Boon Poh and two of the factory’s directors by the MACC. All three are set to be remanded today.
GEORGE TOWN: An illegal carbon filter processing factory has become a burning issue in Penang with the arrest of state executive councillor Phee Boon Poh and two factory directors by graft-busters from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).
All three are expected to be remanded today.
The factory in Kampung Sungai Lembu in Bukit Mertajam was in the news on Wednesday when MACC officers raided its premises and seized several documents.
Yesterday, a team of five MACC officers raided Phee’s office at Level 53 in Komtar at about 11.30am and took away more documents.
Phee, who chairs the state Welfare, Caring Society and Environment Committee, was asked to report to the Penang MACC headquarters in Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah. He was arrested at 3.30pm when he turned up at the MACC building.
MACC deputy chief commissioner (operations) Datuk Azam Baki said Phee was detained under Section 23 of the MACC Act for abuse of power.
The section provides for a jail term of up to 20 years and a fine of up to five times the value of the bribe or RM10,000, whichever is higher.
The 66-year-old Phee was brought back to his house in Butterworth at about 5pm in his car and escorted by two MACC vehicles. It is learnt that he packed some personal belongings from his house before leaving for the state MACC headquarters at 7.05pm.
The MACC also arrested a 70-year-old man and his 37-year-old son, the manager and director of the factory, at 6.05pm and 6.35pm respectively.
The two were summoned to the state MACC headquarters to give their statements before they were detained.
Lawyer R.S.N. Rayer, who accompanied Phee to the Penang MACC headquarters, said the exco man was asked to meet MACC officers after 2pm.
“I was informed that they (MACC officers) went to his office and took some documents including letters that he wrote. They wanted to record his statement regarding the documents.
“He gave his full cooperation and presented himself at the MACC office. I am surprised that he was arrested,” he said before leaving the state MACC building at about 4.30pm.
Earlier, the five MACC officers spent more than an hour in Phee’s office.
Shortly after they left, Phee and four assistants walked out of the office.
Phee declined to comment on the raid.
He is the second member of the current Penang state administration to be arrested by the MACC.
Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng was arrested in June last year over the purchase of a RM2.8mil bungalow in Pinhorn Road.
He was subsequently charged with using his position as the Chief Minister of Penang to gain gratification for himself and his wife, Betty Chew Gek Cheng, by approving the application for conversion of agriculture land to a public housing zone in south-west Penang to the company, Magnificient Emblem Sdn Bhd.
He allegedly committed the offence while chairing the Penang State Planning Committee meeting at the operations room in the Komtar building on July 18, 2014.
The charge under Section 23 of the MACC Act 2009 provides for imprisonment of up to 20 years and a fine of up to five times the sum or value of the bribe, or RM10,000, whichever is higher, upon conviction.
Lim faces a second charge of using his position to obtain a plot of land and a bungalow located at No 25 Jalan Pinhorn, George Town, on July 28, 2015, from businesswoman Phang Li Koon for RM2.8mil, a price which he allegedly knew did not commensurate with the property’s market value at the time of RM4.27mil.
The charge, under Section 165 of the Penal Code, provides for a jail term of up to two years or a fine, or both, upon conviction.
Late last night, Lim was among several DAP leaders and members who turned up outside the state MACC headquarters to stage a candlelight vigil in support of Phee.
Source: The Star by crystal chiam shiying, chong kah yuan, lo tern chern, andlogeiswary thevadass
10 years of smoke in the eyes for villagers
BUKIT MERTAJAM: For about 10 years now, the villagers of Kampung Sungai Lembu have been forced to breathe air laden with pollutants. Children going to school at SJK(C) Kampung Sungai Lembu also have had to put up with the thick dust.
The air is thick with a burning smell from the processing activities at an illegal carbon filter processing factory, just 1km away from the school.
The 5,000sq-m factory, about the size of a football field, has piles upon piles of sawdust, much of it burning in deep pits.
The tall chimneys spout white pollutant-filled smoke into the air which is carried to the nearby villages by the slight breeze.
A source from the Department of Environment revealed that the factory also did not have an air pollution control system.
Kampung Sungai Lembu Development and Security Committee chairman Tan Sing Lee, 58, said the factory also carried out open burning of sawdust to produce carbon.
“Every time the wind blows our way especially in December, the air is polluted. At night, the air is foggy and villagers complain about the smell,” he said.
“We reported the matter to Penanti assemblyman Dr Norlela Ariffin but no action was taken in the past two years,” he said.
The factory is also situated inside an oil palm estate, on land designated for agriculture.
Tan claimed a man in his 30s died in 2015 after he fell into one of the pits while filling it with sawdust.
A check by The Star at the factory yesterday found 20 pits, each measuring about 3m across. The pits were filled with burning sawdust and there was smoke everywhere. The sawdust is burnt to produce carbon which is then used in filters.
Permatang Pauh Umno chief Datuk Mohd Zaidi Mohd Said claimed there may have been people involved in covering up the issue before the raid on the factory by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) on Thursday.
“Several reports have been lodged against the factory.
It is impossible for the Seberang Prai Municipal Council to not be aware of it,” he said during a press conference in Kampung Sungai Lembu.
Also present was Parti Cinta Malaysia deputy president Datuk Huan Cheng Guan.
PKR rep Norlela glad over action against illegal factory
BUKIT MERTAJAM: Penanti’s PKR assemblyman Dr Norlela Ariffin (pic) is pleased that action is finally being taken by the MACC over an illegal factory in Kampung Sungai Lembu.
Dr Norlela said she raised the issue of the carbon filter processing factory more than two years ago. “The villagers told me about their concerns in February 2015. I raised the matter at the state assembly sitting but no action was taken for two years,” she said.
It was in November that Dr Norlela broke down and sobbed uncontrollably at the assembly, claiming the state government had failed to respond to her queries.
She lamented then that she had complained of many woes like illegal factories, frequent flooding and the lack of infrastructure like roads and proper jetties for fishermen.
“Early this year, before the state assembly sitting, villagers handed me an 18-page petition, appealing for the factory to be closed as they claimed it was affecting their health.
“It was also found that the factory was not operating according to guidelines,” she said yesterday.
In May, her allocation was withheld after she did not show up at the Yang di-Pertua Negri’s swearing-in ceremony.
Earlier this month, she complained that funds collected for flood mitigation had not been used to help her constituents.
“In Penanti alone, there are nine flood-prone areas that could greatly benefit from these funds,” she reportedly said, citing the Auditor General’s Report 2016 Series 1 which revealed that the Seberang Prai Municipal Council had only used RM2.2mil of RM63.39mil collected from 2008 to June 2016.
Dr Norlela is among several assemblymen who have been at loggerheads with the state leadership, often criticising it for not carrying out its duties or for not caring about the environment,
Last month, she praised the Sungai Buloh-Kajang MRT project and took a swipe at the Penang Transport Master Plan by comparing the construction cost of both projects in a video she posted on social media.
DAP's lone ranger faces his biggest test
GEORGE TOWN: Two-term Penang executive councillor Phee Boon Poh, 66, gained fame as a vocal opposition leader when he took on 38 Barisan Nasional representatives in the state assembly when he was the sole DAP assemblyman from 2004 until 2008.
Despite being overwhelmed, the “lone ranger” raised many issues.
Although PAS was represented by Mohd Hamdan Abdul Rahman, it was Phee who questioned the policies of the state administration headed by Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon.
Phee began his political career by winning the Bagan Jermal state seat in 1990, only to lose it to Barisan’s Tan Sri Dr Sak Cheng Lum in 1995.
In 1999, he contested the Sungai Puyu seat but lost to Barisan’s Loo Ah Dee. In 2004, he wrested it from Loo with a 607-vote majority.
In 2008, he retained his state seat with a 9,201-vote majority and was appointed state Welfare and Caring Society chairman.
He later took over the environment portfolio from state exco member Chow Kon Yeow.
In the 2013 general election, he beat MCA’s Sum Yoo Keong by 16,207 votes.
Phee is a distant relative of businesswoman Phang Li Koon, who has been charged with abetment in the two corruption cases against Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng.
MACC probes Phee’s letters - Directing council to 'stay away' under investigation
Phee Boon Poh mobbed by the media after he was remanded in George Town. — ZAINUDIN AHAD and ZHAFARAN NASIB/The Star
PENANG: The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) is investigating two letters, which appear to have originated from state executive councillor Phee Boon Poh, asking that no action be taken against an illegal factory.
The letters, written in 2015 and 2016, directed the Seberang Prai Municipal Council from shutting down the carbon filter-processing factory which had been operating illegally for the past 10 years.
The MACC is also investigating whether Phee or his officials had authorised the letters telling the council to back off.
As Phee and two of the company’s directors were remanded yesterday, the MACC is expected to call up a DAP state assemblyman for questioning.
The MACC is believed to be investigating the role of this state assemblyman in the case.
It is understood that MACC is also probing the relationship between Phee and the factory owners.
It wants to find out how the factory could operate openly despite complaints from the villagers nearby.
“The illegal factory is on an agro-based land. (We want to know) why it has been able to operate without any action (taken against it),” a source told Sunday Star.
Too close for comfort: The illegal carbon filter-processing factory still operating and its proximity to Kampung Sungai Lembu and surrounding areas near Bukit Mertajam.
When contacted, MACC deputy chief commissioner (operations) Datuk Azam Baki said the anti-graft body will carry out a thorough probe and look into all angles.
Azam said investigations will focus on the element of abuse of power.
“We have opened an investigation paper under Section 23 of the MACC Act.
“We will look into whether one of the suspects has given (any form of) protection to the illegal factory to enable it to continue operating the last 10 years,” he said.
He declined to elaborate further as investigations were ongoing.
Sources said anti-graft officers revisited the house of the state exco member in Sungai Puyu on the mainland to look for more evidence to assist in the probe.
It is not immediately known if documents were seized.
The homes and offices of two other suspects will also be revisited as part of the probe.
More arrests are expected in the coming days as investigations into the case widen.
The Penang government will not protect any of its officials ... Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng says he believes state exco man Phee Boon ... Phee, who is in charge of the welfare, caring society and environment portfolio, was arrested yesterday by the MACC over alleged misuse of power.
Court of Appeal: Section 62 of MACC Act unconstitutional
PUTRAJAYA: The Court of Appeal has ruled that Section 62 of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009 is unconstitutional.
Justice Datuk Umi Kalthum Abdul Majid, who chaired a three-man bench, made the ruling after allowing the appeals by Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng and businesswoman Phang Li Koon to declare Section 62 as unconstitutional in their corruption cases.
The panel held that Section 62 was ultra vires when read against Article 5(1) and 8(1) of the Federal Constitution.
Section 62 requires accused persons to disclose their defence statements to the prosecution before the beginning of the trial.
However, Article 5(1) states that no person shall be deprived of his life and personal liberty save in accordance with law, while 8(1) states for equal protection under the law.
“We allow the appeals and set aside the order of the High Court,” said Umi Kalthum, who heard the appeals with Datuk Ahmadi Asnawi and Datuk Abdul Rahman Sebli on Monday.
The Court of Appeal granted DPP Datuk Masri Mohd Daud's oral application to stay the proceedings in the Penang High Court pending the prosecution's appeal over the decision.
On March 7 this year, the High Court dismissed Lim and Phang's application after ruling that Section 62 of the MACC Act was constitutional and valid as it did not impede the accused's right to a fair trial.
Lim pleaded not guilty to charges of corruption in relation to the conversion of land from agricultural to residential and the purchase of a plot of land and bungalow at below-market value on June 30 last year.
Lim was charged with using his position as Chief Minister to gain gratification for himself and his wife, Betty Chew Gek Cheng, by approving the application for conversion of agriculture land to a public housing zone in south-west Penang to a company, Magnificient Emblem Sdn Bhd.
He allegedly committed the offence while chairing the Penang State Planning Committee meeting at the operations room, Level 28, Komtar building here, on July 18, 2014.
The charge under Section 23 of the MACC Act 2009 provides for imprisonment of up to 20 years and a fine of up to five times the sum or value of the bribe, or RM10,000, whichever is higher, upon conviction.
Lim faces a second charge of using his position to obtain for himself a plot of land and a bungalow located at No, 25, Jalan Pinhorn, George Town on July 28, 2015 from Phang for RM2.8mil, below market value.
The charge under Section 165 of the Penal Code provides for a jail term of up to two years, or a fine, or both, upon conviction.
Phang pleaded not guilty to abetting Lim in obtaining the bungalow at an undervalued cost.
She allegedly committed the offence at the same place and date.
The charge under Section 109 of the Penal Code read together with Section 165, provides for imprisonment of up to two years, or a fine, or both, upon conviction. - Bernama
MACC will appeal against ruling that Section 62 is unconstitutional
PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) will be appealing the Court of Appeal's ruling that Section 62 of the MACC Act is unconstitutional.
The MACC stated in a statement on Tuesday that its prosecutors would be filing an appeal to the Federal Court "as soon as possible".
"The MACC also wishes to clarify that this decision by the Court of Appeal does not affect the prosecution of Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng and businesswoman Phang Li Koon," it said.
On Monday, the Court of Appeal ruled that Section 62 of the MACC Act was ultra vires when read against Article 5(1) and 8(1) of the Federal Constitution, thus deeming it unconstitutional.
Section 62 of the Act requires accused persons to disclose their defence statements to the prosecution before the beginning of the trial.
However, Article 5(1) states that no person shall be deprived of his life and personal liberty save in accordance with law, while Article 8(1) states that all persons are entitled to equal protection under the law.
The ruling was made after allowing the appeals by Lim and Phang to declare Section 62 as unconstitutional in their corruption cases.
Lim currently faces charges for obtaining gratification for himself and his wife related to the conversion of land into residential development and another charge for using his position to purchase a bungalow below market value. Phang has been charged with abetment. - The Star
MACC: ‘Decision has no bearing’
PETALING JAYA: The Court of Appeal’s decision to declare a section of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act as unconstitutional does not affect the prosecution of the Penang chief minister and a businesswoman, the graft busting body said.
The MACC said in a statement that its prosecutors would be filing an appeal to the Federal Court “as soon as possible”.
“The MACC also wishes to clarify that this decision by the Court of Appeal does not affect the prosecution of Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng and businesswoman Phang Li Koon,” it said.
On Monday, the Court of Appeal ruled that Section 62 of the MACC Act was ultra vires when read against Article 5(1) and 8(1) of the Federal Constitution, thus deeming it unconstitutional. Section 62 requires accused persons to disclose their defence statements to the prosecution before the trial begins.
But Article 5(1) states that no person shall be deprived of his life and personal liberty save in accordance with law, while Article 8(1) states that all persons are entitled to equal protection under the law.
The ruling was made after allowing the appeals by Lim and Phang who sought to declare Section 62 as unconstitutional.
Lim currently faces charges for allegedly obtaining gratification for himself and his wife related to the conversion of land into residential development and another charge for allegedly using his position to purchase a bungalow below market value.
Jul 3, 2016 ... Critical time for DAP leader, Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng. Fall from
grace: Lim, who is facing two charges of corruption alongside ...
GEORGE TOWN: Two more popular financial schemes in Penang have been red-flagged by Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM).
A check on the financial consumer alert list yesterday showed MBI International Sdn Bhd and Mface International Sdn Bhd to be the latest additions.
Both are subsidiaries of MBI Group International, a company with investors worldwide, many of them from China.
To date, 302 companies have been listed under the BNM financial consumer alert list, for suspicion of not adhering to relevant laws and regulations administered by BNM in their operations.
Under the Financial Services Act 2013, individuals or businesses involved in illegal financial activities can be fined up to RM50mil and jailed for 10 years.
When contacted by a Chinese daily, MBI International chairman Tedy Teow’s special assistant Alfa said he did not think that the company would face any problem.
“And it is unnecessary for us to hold a press conference to explain the situation to our investors.
“We are always doing our work and we believe that our investors can see how we are performing so far,” he told Sin Chew Daily.
An investor, H.L. Teoh, said he put in RM22,500 early this year and was given 10,000 game redemption credits.
“Actually, I can start selling it every six months, but I was advised to wait for it to grow bigger in three years.
“When you have lots of credit, it is like having a lot of virtual shares.
“Now, I will have to wait for further instructions from the company before my next course of action,” he said.
Members are allowed to spend their loyalty points, which are converted from virtual money or coins, in exchange for goods and services at affiliated companies, including a supermarket, restaurants, a gym and even a durian stall.
Meanwhile, a press conference called by a branch representative of another controversial financial scheme operator, JJPTR, was cancelled at the last minute.
Press members in Penang had received an invitation from a man known only as Lim at 8.30am yesterday.
However, no reason was given for the cancellation.
JJPTR has been grabbing headlines in the past few weeks since its founder Johnson Lee claimed that the company had lost US$400mil (RM1.738bil) due to a purported “hacking job”.
Lee and two of his top aides have been detained by the police to facilitate investigations following several police reports lodged against JJPTR.
In another case, 19 Chinese nationals lodged police reports in Kuala Lumpur against another multi-level marketing company, claiming that they had lost hundreds of thousands of ringgit.
They claimed to have lost between 100,000 yuan (RM62,536) and 700,000 yuan (RM437,754) since investing in the scheme by Monspace last year.
Founded in 2014, Monspace is listed as a multi-level marketing company, according to the Companies Commission of Malaysia.
In an immediate response, Monspace said it would take legal action against any group or individual making defamatory statements against it.
The company said in a statement to the media that it was functioning professionally and had engaged a law firm to keep track of statements made about it.
PETALING JAYA: Two senior government officials have been remanded in Malacca and Johor over separate cases of graft involving millions of ringgit.
In Malacca, a senior state government official with the title of Datuk was remanded for four days.
The 55-year-old was brought to the magistrate’s court by the Malaysian Anti- Corruption Commission (MACC) officers before the remand order was issued by assistant registrar Syarina Shaarani @ Tan.
On Monday in Putrajaya, MACC also detained and obtained a fiveday remand for a 70-year-old contractor with links to the Malacca senior official, who was believed to have solicited kickbacks in exchange of approval for projects.
It is learnt that MACC had frozen 22 bank accounts owned by the senior official and his family members amounting to RM11mil and 24 accounts belonging to the contractor totalling RM12mil.
MACC deputy chief commissioner (operations) Datuk Azam Baki confirmed the latest arrest, adding that the investigation would zoom in on the projects involving the two suspects.
In Johor Baru, an assistant officer with the Johor Land Office was remanded for six days by a magistrate’s court over abuse of power in a land acquisition case.
Clad in an MACC orange lock-up shirt, the suspect, in his 50s, was brought in under the escort of several officers at around 11am. The remand order was approved by assistant registrar Norhidayah Abdul Manaf.
MACC state director Datuk Simi Abdul Ghani told Bernama that it was in the process of identifying the source of the man’s assets.
The suspect, he said, was believed to have abused his position to obtain land through land offices in other districts as well as acquire these via ownership transfers.
Initial investigation revealed that the suspect owned several pieces of agricultural land as well as a few residential plots and luxury homes.
In another case, a director of a federal agency in Labuan was rearrested by MACC a day after his remand for a graft probe over a RM12mil food court in Tg Purun expired.
This time, the suspect, 59, was held over a probe into a building and infrastructure project worth RM48mil in Labuan.
Yesterday, Labuan magistrate’s court registrar Haizah Tamin granted a seven-day remand order against the director.
So far, MACC has recorded statements from 17 witnesses, including two civil servants and staff from several companies and contractors.
However, sources said no new arrests or seizure of assets and property had been made.
Graft investigators are still sifting through documents and other evidence to determine the number of contracts in the project since the director took over the helm about two years ago.
Two contractors, in their 40s, who were detained with the director earlier over the food court project, have been released.
The director is said to have asked for RM100,000 from the contractors as kickback for awarding them the project.
Confirming the re-arrest, Azam said the director was detained over an ongoing probe under Section 17(a) of the MACC Act for offering and receiving bribes.
So far, 12 bank accounts with cash amounting to RM889,000 belonging to the suspect and several family members have been frozen.
MACC is also tracing several million ringgit allegedly transferred out of the accounts shortly before the suspect was picked up.
Malacca Chief Minister Datuk Seri Idris Haron said MACC’s action against the state senior official reflected its government’s transparency.
There had been speculation that the officer was closely linked to certain key officials in the state, including himself, said Idris.
“Anyone can be seen to be close to me, but when it comes to corrupt practices, I will be the first to stand against it,” he said.
However, he urged people not to jump to any conclusion as the probe was still ongoing.
Senior officials held for alleged graft
PETALING JAYA: Two senior civil servants, one of whom is a Datuk, were detained by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) in Malacca and Johor for alleged corrupt practices.
Sources said the first suspect, aged 55, was picked up in downtown Malacca at about 2pm yesterday and is to be remanded today.
More than 20 bank accounts containing over RM10mil were frozen.
It is learnt that the suspect was soliciting kickbacks in exchange for approval of projects involving local authorities.
The sources said the MACC was currently determining the amount of money and number of projects involved.
More individuals are expected to be picked up to facilitate investigations.
In a separate case, an assistant land district officer was also picked up over alleged corruption.
The suspect, in his 50s, was detained when he appeared at the Johor MACC office to have his statement recorded at about 2pm yesterday.
Sources said the suspect was said to have misused his position to obtain land, including alleged illicit transfer of land ownership.
The case is being investigated under Section 23 of the MACC Act 2009.
Initial investigations showed the suspect owned several plots of agricultural land covering 6.77ha.
In addition, he is said to have acquired a 27.51ha piece of jointly-developed land, residential land and a high-cost luxury unit in several districts in Johor.
Johor MACC director Datuk Simi Abdul Ghani confirmed the arrest.
He said the suspect would be brought to the court for a remand order to detain him further as part of the probe.
Earlier this month, the MACC arrested two senior office bearers of two government-linked companies over suspected abuse of power and corruption.
Cash and other assets worth millions were seized and bank accounts frozen.
Last week, a federal agency director and two contractors were also detained.
The contractors had been released but the director was re-arrested to assist in a money-laundering probe.
Oct 15, 2016 … Sabah’s watergate scandal unfolds, engineers nabbed,
civil service back in vogue …. Civil service back in vogue – for the
wrong reasons.
PETALING JAYA: After spending 11 years on death row and having exhausted all his appeals, Ahmad Najib Aris (pic) was finally executed for the 2003 murder of Canny Ong.
The former aircraft cabin cleaning supervisor, who killed Ong after abducting her from a shopping complex in Bangsar, was hanged early yesterday.
A Kajang prison spokesman said Ahmad Najib, 40, was executed at about 6am and his body was later buried at the Sungai Kantan Muslim cemetery in Kajang.
He said Ahmad Najib was allowed to meet his family members for the last time on Thursday.
Ahmad Najib’s former lawyer Mohamed Haniff Khatri Abdulla described him as a “good Muslim” while in jail.
He said prison officials had told him that Ahmad Najib became a good Muslim, and often led prayers in jail and also taught other inmates about religion.
“To me, at least the time he was in prison, he was a better person than many outside,” he told The Star.
Ahmad Najib was sentenced to death by the Shah Alam High Court on Feb 23, 2005, for murdering Ong, then 28, at the 11th kilometre of Jalan Klang Lama between 1am and 5am on June 14, 2003.
He was also given the maximum jail term of 20 years and ordered to be given 10 strokes of the rotan for raping Ong.
In March 2009, the Federal Court upheld his death sentence for the crimes committed against Ong, whose charred remains were found in a manhole near a highway construction site.
Ong, an IT-analyst living in the United States with her husband Brandon Ong, was back in Malaysia to visit her ailing father.
On June 13, 2003, a day before she was due to return to the United States, Ong went out for dinner with some family members and close friends at the Bangsar Shopping Complex.
After the meal, she went to the basement car park to retrieve the parking ticket from her car. She asked her mother and sister to wait for her by the autopay machine.
Ong never returned.
After waiting for 20 minutes, Ong’s mother Pearly Visvanathan Ong and her sister decided to look for her in the car park.
When they went down they found the car, a purple Proton Tiara, missing.
Sensing something bad had happened to her daughter, Pearly ran to the mall’s security office to view the CCTV tapes.
The tapes confirmed their worst fears. They saw Ong being abducted by a man who drove off with her in her car, crashing past the exit barrier of the car park.
Days later, Ong’s charred remains were found in a manhole along Old Klang Road in Kuala Lumpur.
Forensic and criminal investigators found evidence that led to the arrest of Ahmad Najib.
The news of Ong’s murder was covered widely by the media and followed intently by the public.
The randomness of the crime – Ahmad Najib had no apparent motive – made it all the more horrific and prompted many unsolicited and baseless conspiracy theories much to the dismay of Ong’s loved ones.
by Jastin Ahmad Tarmizi The Star/Asia News Network
Jul 13, 2012 ... ... of probably the most-publicised case of car park abduction and assault in the
country. ... Canny Ong, after being abducted in Bangsar, was raped, murdered .....
Moneylender gunned down in broad daylight in Kuala Lumpur.
Otherwise, it will create a negative perception of judiciary's independence, says CJ
https://youtu.be/rKJy0vpNVlA
KUALA LUMPUR: The Attorney-General must stop leading the Judicial and Legal Service Commission to ensure that the judiciary can be seen as a truly independent body, says the Chief Justice.
The head of the judiciary, Tun Arifin Zakaria, said that it would be a conflict of interest for the A-G to lead both services as he was a member of the Executive, when judicial officers comes under the judiciary.
In a democracy, the three branches of Government – the Legislative, Executive and Judiciary – must remain independent of each other.
“If the A-G continues to lead both services, I worry it would create a negative perception of the judiciary’s independence, an opinion many parties share,” said Arifin in a speech at the Judicial Officers Conference here yesterday.
The Chief Justice’s call is in line with the universal concept of judicial independence, whereby the courts should not be subject to undue influence from other branches of the Government or persons with partisan interests.
In an immediate reaction, Attorney-General Tan Sri Mohd Apandi Ali confirmed that the A-G’s Chambers (AGC) had received the proposal and was still studying it from the point of view of the Constitution and from a historic perspective.
“We will come up with the AGC’s views and discuss it at our next Legal and Judicial Service Commission’s meeting before the end of the year,” he told The Star.
Currently, the Judicial and Legal Service Commission managed the careers – from appointing, promoting, transferring and disciplining – of its members, which includes judicial officers like Sessions Court judges and magistrates, and legal officers like deputy public prosecutors and senior federal counsels.
Later, during a press conference, Arifin said people who disagreed with a judgment might say the magistrates were toeing the line with the A-G’s Chambers as they were effectively the same body.
“Imagine if a senior officer from the AGC or even the A-G himself was prosecuting. Lagi menggeletar (they’ll be even more nervous) to handle the case,” he said.
Arifin said Public Service Circular 6/2010 which made the A-G the chief of the judicial service was a contradiction to an existing decision by the Federal Court and no longer relevant
He pointed out that when the Commission was formed, the two groups were placed together as there were only a few hundred staff members. However, there were now 636 employees in the legal service and 4,787 serving in the judicial service as of April this year.
“The time has come for the judicial service to be lead by an someone from within its ranks,” he said, adding that such a candidate would be better equipped to run the service.
Arifin suggested that the Chief Court Registrar lead the judicial service while the Attorney-General lead the legal service.
The separation would also stop judicial officers and legal officers from being transferred between departments, unless the move is approved in writing by their chiefs.
However, Arifin said transfers should still be allowed, with due process, to ensure staff get experience as both judges and prosecutors.
Chief Registrar Datin Latifah Mohd Tahar, who also attended the conference, told reporters the paper on the proposal had been submitted to the Commission and the matter could be decided on within the year.
In 2006, the then Chief Justice Tun Ahmad Fairuz Sheikh Abdul Halim said the Judiciary intended to propose to the Government to abolish the Judicial and Legal Service Commission.
He added that magistrates and Sessions Court judges should be absorbed into the judiciary, fearing that there would be interference by “unseen hands” if they remain as civil servants.
by Chelsea L.Y. Ng and Qishin Tariq The Star/Asia News Network
It’s about time, says thelegal fraternity of proposal
PETALING JAYA: The legal fraternity applauded the Chief Justice’s proposal for greater separation between judicial and legal services, calling it long overdue.
Former Court of Appeals Justice Mah Weng Kwai (pic) said the proposal finally presented a clear demarcation between the judicial and legal services.
“It has been a combined service for the longest time, since before I joined the service in 1973,” said Mah, who started his career as a magistrate before becoming a deputy public prosecutor and then senior federal counsel.
Responding to the Chief Justice’s suggestion that officers would still be allowed to be transferred between the services, Mah said it should be taken one step further with both services completely independent and non-transferable.
Former magistrate Akbardin Abdul Kader said, if implemented, the move would ensure former DPPs were not biased when they were elevated to the bench.
“Hence, they will remain as DPPs until they retire and so the same for judicial officers,” he said.
Malaysian Bar president Steven Thiru said the Chief Justice’s concerns were valid and deserved due consideration.
He said the fact the Attorney-General was a member of the commission could open the judiciary to questions in any decision in favour of the prosecution.
He noted that the proposal would appear to require a constitutional amendment that would place Sessions Court judges and magistrates under the sole jurisdiction of the judiciary, and no longer under the Commission.
“This strengthens the concept of separation of powers that vests judicial power in the judiciary and requires the exercise of those powers without any influence by the other arms of Government,” he said, adding that the removal of any conflict of interest would inspire more confidence in the decisions of Sessions Court judges and magistrates.
Former Malaysian Bar president Yeo Yang Poh said the Bar had called for the change for decades, adding that from time to time, a Chief Justice of the day would “warm up” to the idea.
In 2006, when Yeo was serving as president, Chief Justice Tun Ahmad Fairuz Sheikh Abdul Halim made a similar call for a separation of the judiciary from the commission.
Yeo added that it was the first time he had heard of a proposal being handed to the commission by the Chief Registrar.
He said having the judicial and legal services combined was not desirable for two reasons: in practical terms, not every one could be fearless; while in theory, even if all legal officers could overcome the pressure, there would still be the perception of impartiality.
“You can’t blame an observer that perceives something is not quite right. A judge could say they would remain impartial even if judging their father; but does it look right?” he asked.
A former officer from the Judicial And Legal Services, who declined to be named, said the risk of transfers were a common reality.
“We used to threaten judges up to the Sessions Court (level), if they misbehave, we will get them transferred as DPPs. A few of them were actually transferred,” he said.
He said though the “threats” were in jest, it shocked him that they were sometimes really carried out, adding that not all moves were sinister, as it was occasionally meant as a lesson for subordinate courts which had made errant judgments.
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