Three former officers of investment company acquitted of submitting false company report

KUALA LUMPUR: Three former officers of an investment company including a 'Datuk' were today acquitted and discharged by the Sessions Court here of making false statements in the company's annual report for 2006 and 2007 to Bursa Malaysia Securities Berhad.
Mohd Azham Mohd Noor, 51, former executive director of Kosmo Technology Industrial Berhad; Lim Hai Loon, 46, former accounts manager of the company; and the company's former managing director Datuk Norhamzah Nordin, 51, were seen shaking hands in the dock after judge Norsharidah Awang acquitted them.
Norsharidah acquitted the accused from all charges without calling them to enter their defence after finding that the prosecution had failed to prove a prima facie case at the end of the prosecution's case.
"After studying the evidence and submissions by the prosecution, as well as making the maximum evaluation, the court decides that the accused be acquitted and discharged of the charges.
"The court believes that there is no evidence that the three accused hade an active role in this case," said Norsharidah, who then ordered the RM150,000 bail money for Mohd Azham and Lim and RM200,000 for Norhamzah be returned to their respective sureties.
The court made the ruling after hearing testimony from 32 prosecution witnesses in the trial.
In 2011, Mohd Azham and Norhamzah had pleaded not guilty to eight counts of submitting false statements in the company's annual report for 2006 and 2007 to Bursa Malaysia Securities Berhad at Exchange Square, Bukit Kewangan here between 2006 and 2008.
They were charged under Section 122B (a)(bb) of the Securities Industry Act 1983 (Act 280), read together with Section 122(1) of the same act, which is punishable under Section 122B of the same Act and carries a fine of up to RM3 million or a jail term of up to 10 years, upon conviction.
Lim also pleaded not guilty to eight counts of abetting the company in the offence.
She was charged under Section 122B (a)(bb) of the Securities Industry Act 1983 (Act 280), read together with Section 122(1) of the same act, which is punishable under Section 122B of the same Act and carries a fine of up to RM3 million or a jail term of up to 10 years, if convicted.
Deputy public prosecutor Hashley Tajudin prosecuted while lawyers Datuk D.P. Vijandran and T. Kumar represented Mohd Azham, Lim and Norhamzah. — Bernama