THE EXECUTIVE chairman and the chief executive officer (CEO) of Aman Palestin Berhad were among three people charged at the Shah Alam sessions court today on a total of 164 counts of criminal breach of trust (CBT), fraud and money laundering involving RM39.5 million.
The chairman, Abdullah Zaik Abdul Rahman, 58, and CEO Awang Suffian Awang Piut, 52, pleaded not guilty after the charges were levelled against them before judge Datuk Anita Harun, reported Berita Harian.
Abdullah Zaik and Awang Suffian, in their capacity as directors of Samudra Champa Sdn Bhd (Samudra Champa) who were entrusted with property amounting to RM20,946,498.80 belonging to Aman Palestin, were each charged with 52 counts of CBT of the property a bank in Bandar Baru Bangi near here between March 12, 2018, and Nov 3, 2023.
They were charged under Section 409 of the Penal Code which provides imprisonment for up to twenty years, whipping and a fine, if convicted.
They are also jointly charged with 19 counts of cheating by deceiving the Aman Palestine Board of Trustees into handing over RM39,150,000 in cash to Samudra Champa for the purchase of gold, whereby the purchase price was lower.
Meanwhile, another Samudra Champa director, Khairudin Mohd Ali, was charged in the same court with three counts of using proceeds involving some RM6 million as payment for the purchase of a shoplot, a shop house and a semi-detached office factory.
The offence was allegedly committed at several banks in Bandar Baru Bangi and Kajang, between June 1, 2018 and May 3, 2023.
The charge was laid under Section 4(1)(b) of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001 (Amla) which is punishable under Section 4(1) read with Section 87(1) of the same act.
If convicted, he can be imprisoned for up to 15 years, and fined not less than five times the amount or value of the proceeds of ithe llegal activities or RM5 million, whichever is higher.
According to reports, the court interpreter took two hours to read out all the charges on the three men.
The court allowed Abdullah Zaik and Awang Suffian bail of RM1 million with one surety each, while Khairudin's bail was set at RM200,000 with one surety.
The three men were also ordered to surrender their passports to the court.
For the bail, they were allowed to pay half of the bail amount today, with the balance before or on March 13, which is also the date for mention of the case.
The prosecution was handled by Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) deputy public prosecutors Ahmad Akram Gharib, Wirna Rifin @ Arifin, Nurul Atiqah Mohamad Alias and prosecuting officer Fatin Farhana Ismail, while all the accused were represented by lawyer Siti Mardhiyyah Zamani.
On January 8, MACC chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki had authorised an investigation into alleged misappropriation of funds by Aman Palestin which espouses to help the Palestinian cause, including the setting up of companies involving money obtained from the public.
Aman Palestin was also investigated on whether the money it received from the public had been sent to intended beneficiaries in countries like Palestine and Syria.
The agency was also probing an investment in purchase of gold bars carried out by Aman Palestin.
Last November, the MACC authorised the freezing of 41 accounts under Aman Palestin and several other related corporate entities involving a total amount of about RM15,8 million. This came about in light of alleged irregularities over its fundraising activities.
The move was related to the investigation by the anti-graft enforcement agency into allegations regarding the charity organisation misappropriating money donated by the public since October 17. – The Vibes, February 15, 2024
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