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KUALA LUMPUR: Two high ranking military officers have claimed trial in the Court of Sessions here on charges of criminal breach of trust (CBT) and misappropriation of property for nearly RM1,000 four years ago.
The academy director, Lt. Col. Azman Mohamed Yasin, 57, and former academy commander Brig Gen (R) Mohd Adkaa Solahuddin, 63, of the Universiti Pertahanan Nasional Malaysia (UPNM) Military Training Academy were charged. Separately in the same court on Monday (November 23).
They pleaded not guilty after the charges were read before Session Court Judge Mahyon Talib.
They allegedly compromised CBT by approving two payments of RM500,000 and RM420,000 belonging to the academy’s social welfare fund for the purpose of investing through an unregistered financial institution.
The crimes were allegedly committed at the UPNM academy, Kem Perdana Sungai Besi, between August 3 and September 23, 2016.
The charge under Section 409 of the Penal Code establishes a prison term of up to 20 years, with whipping, and is also subject to a fine on conviction.
They also faced an alternative charge of alleged misappropriation of the same amount of money at the same place and time.
The charge under Section 403 of the Penal Code carries a maximum of five years in jail, whipping and a fine upon conviction.
Deputy Prosecutor Nur Shafini Mustafha offered a bond of RM 100,000 in guarantee for all charges faced by each of the defendants.
He asked the court to impose additional conditions on the defendants; that is, the defendants submit their passport to the court and report to the nearest Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) office monthly.
Lawyer Mohd Amir Aizat Abdul Rani, who represented Azman, said his client was still in the military and had no other source of income.
“He has four children, including three who are still in school. His wife is a primary school teacher, ”said Amir.
Amir asked the court not to impose an excessive amount of bail because the purpose of the bail was only to secure attendance at court.
“I ask for a bond between RM15,000 and RM20,000. His passport is still in the MACC, ”he said.
In response, Adkaa’s lawyer, Nur Asyikin Zakaria, asked that she be allowed to pay the bond in stages before or on 7 December, as her client could only pay RM 15,000 at the moment.
He said that his client’s livelihood depended on his pension.
“My client has a heart condition and is currently seeking treatment at the National Heart Institute (IJN),” he said.
The court granted bail of RM80,000 in bail for each of the defendants and imposed additional conditions requested by the prosecution.
The court also allowed Adkaa’s application to pay the balance of his bail on or before December 7 and set December 22 for the mention of cases.
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