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High Court releases 5 suspects in ACA graft case a day earlier |
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Thursday, 21 August 2008 10:34pm |
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©The
Sun (Used by permission)
by Humayun Kabir
IPOH (Aug 21, 2008): Five of the six suspects who were ordered by the court to
be remanded for three days from Wednesday for investigation into an alleged
graft case involving a proposed RM180 million housing project were released
today.
The first suspect was a 30 year-old businessman who was released on a RM5,000
Anti-Corruption Agency bail in one surety at 2.30pm.
The other four, including two state exco members, were released on an order by
High Court judge Ridwan Ibrahim this afternoon based on an application for a
review of magistrate Noor Aini Yusof Noor's judgement filed by a team of eight
lawyers from the Pakatan Rakyat state government on Wednesday.
In his judgement, Ridwan said Noor Aini had sufficient grounds to remand the
five but he felt the duration was too long.
He reduced the three-day order to two and asked the authorities to free the four
remaining suspects today.
The state ACA was represented by its DPP Mohd Jazamuddin Ahmad Nawawi while the
five suspects were represented by a panel of eight lawyers --Terence Naidu, Mah
Kok Leong, Stephen K.S. Su, Nathan Subramaniam, Faizal Hilmy Ahmad Zambri,
Ranjit Singh, Leong Sai Hwa and Mohamad Asri Othman.
The case involved an alleged RM100,000 kickback to expedite the approval of the
housing project in Sri Iskandar in Perak.
In their arguments, the defence said Noor Aini did not state her reasons for the
three-day remand order as required under Section 117(7) of the Criminal
Procedure Code.
They also argued that Section 117 applies only to investigations that are
completed but in this case, the ACA investigation officer Norziyana Adam was
only appointed after the remand order was given by Noor which is defective in
nature.
Mohd Jazamuddin had urged that normally remand order is for one week but the
magistrate had given only a three-day remand order.
He said the agency needs the duration to complete their investigation.
A magistrate court here today allowed the sixth suspect, also a state exco
member, to be remanded for two days to facilitate the ACA probe.
The exco, who was arrested yesterday, is expected to be freed tomorrow (Friday).
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