Court orders ex-Immigration director’s defence for graft charge
GEORGE TOWN, Feb 8 — The Sessions Court here today ordered a former senior state Immigration official to enter his defence on the charge of owning cash and property beyond his means, Bernama Online reported.
According to the report, Abdul Rahman Harun, formerly a state Immigration director, was earlier charged with owning RM681,355 in cash and RM136,000 in real estate, the total of which was found to exceed the combined sum of his recorded income by RM152,081.
Owing to Abdul Rahman’s failure to adequately explain the source of the excess income, judge Sitarun Nisa Abdul Aziz today ruled that there was prima facie evidence to proceed with the trial.
Now with the National Key Result Unit of the Home Ministry, Abdul Rahman was hauled up by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) in October of 2010 over his assets irregularity.
Under the charge proffered under Section 36 (3) of the MACC Act 2009, Abdul Rahman can be jailed up to 20 years and fined not less than five times the corrupt amount or RM10,000, whichever sum is greater.
Deputy public prosecutor Anthony Kevin Morais appeared for the MACC while Abdul Rahman was represented by Zamri Idrus.
Sitarun later fixed the trial for March 19 to 21.
