KUALA LUMPUR: The hearing of the RM1 million corruption case facing former Federal Territories minister Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor, which has been fixed for today, was postponed following a notice of motion filed by the defence to recuse judge Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali from presiding the case.
Lawyer Datuk Tan Hock Chuan, representing Tengku Adnan, told the court that the notice was filed yesterday (Sept 18) for Mohd Nazlan to recuse himself from the case, and for the case to be transferred to another High Court.
He said it was filed following the guilty plea by businessman Datuk Tan Eng Boon, 71, last Tuesday on an alternative charge of abetting Tengku Adnan in receiving the RM1 million bribe.
“Other reasons for the application included the applicant’s (Tengku Adnan) concern of not getting a fair trial from the same judge and court,” he said, adding that the defence also learned from media reports that Tan had agreed to testify as a prosecution witness.
Deputy public prosecutor Julia Ibrahim then told the court that the prosecution received the notice by the defence at 4pm yesterday and required time file an affidavit in reply.
Mohd Nazlan then fixed tomorrow to hear the notice and gave until 3pm today for the prosecution to file in the affidavit.
Tan had pleaded guilty to an alternative charge of abetting Tengku Adnan in the RM1 million graft case last Sept 17 in a plea bargain proposed by the prosecution. He was fined RM1.5 million for the offence.
On Nov 15, 2018, Tan as director of a property development company, claimed trial to giving a bribe to Tengku Adnan by depositing a Public Bank cheque of RM1 million belonging to Pekan Nenas Industries Sdn Bhd into the then minister’s CIMB Bank account.
He was accused of committing the offence as gratification to Tengku Adnan for approving an application by Nucleus Properties Sdn Bhd (now known as Paragon City Development Sdn Bhd) to increase the company’s plot ratio in regard to a development project on Lot 228, Jalan Semarak here.
On the same day (Nov 15), Tengku Adnan, 69, claimed trial to receiving RM1 million from Tan through a Public Bank cheque belonging to Pekan Nenas Industries Sdn Bhd that was deposited into his CIMB Bank account.
On Aug 9 this year, the High Court here allowed the prosecution’s application for the corruption cases involving Tan and Tengku Adnan to be tried jointly. — Bernama
