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KUALA LUMPUR - Former Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom was charged in the Sessions Court today with three counts of causing the Lembaga Tabung Haji (TH) to dispose of RM860,308,770.51, or SAR766,060,237 (Saudi Riyals), belonging to the institution to Saudi Arabia-based property development and project management company Al-Rawda Real Estate Development and Projects Management Co Ltd (Al-Rawda).
Jamil Khir, 65, who is also former Jerai MP, pleaded not guilty after the charges were read out before Judge Rosli Ahmad.
According to all three charges, Jamil Khir, in his capacity as Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs), is alleged to have dishonestly caused the TH Board to dispose of its property, namely RM42,942,074 equivalent to SAR44.170 million, RM288,172,134.64 (SAR250,041,622) and RM529,194,561.87 (SAR471,848,615), to Al-Rawda.
The offences were allegedly committed at the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) office, Level 9, Block D7, Complex D, Federal Government Administrative Centre, Putrajaya on April 3, 2015 and at the same office at Level 10, Block A, Putrajaya Islamic Complex on Dec 14, 2016 and Aug 17, 2017.
The charges were framed under Section 403 of the Penal Code, which carries a jail term of between six months and five years, whipping and a fine upon conviction.
Deputy public prosecutor Farah Ezlin Yusop Khan proposed bail of RM1 million in one surety and that Jamil Khir surrender his passport to the court until the case is concluded.
"If we look at the three charges before the court today, they involve a total amount of RM860,308,770.51.
"I believe what we are seeking is reasonable, considering that this is also a very high-profile case, and that the RM1 million bail and the surrender of his passport are more than sufficient measures," said Farah Ezlin, who is handling the case with DPP Nurul Qistini Qamarul Abrar.
Jamil Khir's lawyer Datuk Hisyam Teh Poh Teik, however, asked for lower bail of around RM300,000 for all three charges, submitting that bail should not be punitive.
"Datuk Seri Jamil Khir has no other source of income, and his only sources of income are his pension as a former minister and his pension as a former Major General in the Malaysian Armed Forces.
"Therefore, in the circumstances, we submit that RM300,000 bail in one surety, together with the surrender of his passport, is sufficient to ensure the accused's attendance whenever required by the court," said Hisyam, who was assisted by Datuk Hamidi Md Noh.
Judge Rosli allowed Jamil Khir bail of RM300,000 for all the charges in one surety, with the additional condition that his passport be surrendered to the court, and fixed Nov 5 for mention.
The former minister was detained on Sept 2 at the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) headquarters in Putrajaya to assist investigations into the findings of the TH RCI report.
He was remanded for seven days from Sept 2 and was released on bail on Sept 8.
The TH RCI report was made public on July 29, documenting various weaknesses in TH's management and operations between 2014 and 2020, as well as listing problematic investments that required a forensic audit.
The report also stated that there were suspicious transactions and concealment of information.
It was reported that TH had incurred losses of nearly RM13 billion through 14 problematic investments, seven of which recorded 100 per cent losses. Of these, TH's investment in Al-Rawda recorded the largest loss among the investments listed. - BERNAMA
