Former Penang Deputy Chief Minister II and ex-chairman of the Penang Hindu Endowments Board (PHEB), P Ramasamy, pleaded not guilty to 17 charges of criminal breach of trust (CBT) for the mishandling of PHEB funds.
The charges were read out before Judge Zulhazmi Abdullah at the sessions court on May 14.
Ramasamy, whose tenure as board chairman from 2008 to 2013, is accused of the alleged improper use of PHEB funds totalling RM859,131.29, without necessary approvals from the board between May 2019 and February 2022.
Out of which, 13 relate to procuring a gold-plated Thaipusam chariot in 2019, which was purchased for RM779,131.29.
The PHEB is a statutory body responsible for managing Hindu religious properties and assets in Penang.
The procurement of the gold-plated chariot, meant to be used during Thaipusam processions, drew public scrutiny at the time due to its high cost.
Ramasamy also faces two charges involving the misuse of RM65,000 that was allocated for medical assistance to individuals without prior approval from the PHEB.
The remaining two charges concern the unauthorised allocation of RM15,000 for education sponsorships, which were likewise made without the proper formal approval.
The charges were framed under Section 409 of the Penal Code, which carries penalties of up to 20 years' imprisonment, whipping, and a fine upon conviction.
During the proceedings, Ramasamy’s legal team, led by Shamsher Singh Thind, comprised Eng Yuh Pei and Archana Chandrasekaran.
Azura Zulkiflee and Nurnajihatul Idayu Azuyar headed the prosecution from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission’s legal and prosecution division.
The court set bail at RM78,000, with one surety, and ordered that he surrender his passport.
Selva Mookiah attended the session as a representative for the PHEB, holding a watching brief on behalf of the organisation.
Ramasamy, who is 75, was previously arrested by the MACC on May 12, 2024 and released on RM20,000 bail during the investigation.
His defence argued that the charges were baseless, as he did not personally benefit from any of the transactions. They argued that Ramasamy worked to improve the socio-economic welfare of the Indian community.
Under Ramasamy’s leadership, PHEB’s reserves reportedly grew from RM1 million to RM11 million.
Following the court proceedings, Ramasamy issued a statement responding to the charges, which he described as politically motivated.
“It is deeply ironic that I am now being accused of abusing my position as chairman of the Board, when my sole objective was to uplift the Indian community in Penang and to mitigate the worst effects of an unjust and abusive political system. Such allegations simply do not make sense.”
He claimed that the charges against him were part of a political vendetta orchestrated by the current Madani government.
Ramasamy said the true motive behind the charges was due to the growing discontent within the Indian community towards the government and believes that the charges are an attempt to silence the voices of dissent, like his.
Ramasamy, a former DAP member, resigned from the party in 2024 and formed his own political party, Urimai.
The next mention of the case is scheduled for July 15, 2025.
Carolyn Khor is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
The User Content (as defined on Newswav Terms of Use) above including the views expressed and media (pictures, videos, citations etc) were submitted & posted by the author. Newswav is solely an aggregation platform that hosts the User Content. If you have any questions about the content, copyright or other issues of the work, please contact creator@newswav.com.
