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- Cash amounting to RM52 million, jewellery, luxury watches and foreign currencies that were seized by MACC during the onset of the case.
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- Ag Mohd Tahir Mohd Talib is led out of court after the proceedings.
KOTA KINABALU: The High Court here today reduced a former Sabah Water Department director’s bail to RM5 million from RM10 million.
It will have a RM2 million deposit, while the director’s wife also had her bail reduced to RM1 million from RM2 million with a deposit of RM500,000.
Justice Ravinthran Paramaguru made the decision after allowing the applications of Ag Mohd Tahir Mohd Talib, 55, and Fauziah Ag Piut, 52, through their counsel PJ Perira.
On Dec 29 last year, Ag Mohd Tahir, his wife Fauziah and Sabah Finance Ministry technical and engineering advisor Lim Lam Peng, 63, had pleaded not guilty in the Sessions Court to a total of 37 counts of money laundering involving cash and bank savings of RM61.48 million, as well as unlawful possession of luxury goods.
Ag Tahir was charged with 11 counts under Section 4 (1)(b) of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001 for allegedly possessing properties amounting to RM56.9 million in cash and savings, 86 luxury watches and cars – all of which are proceeds of unlawful activities.
The alleged offences were committed at the former Water Department director’s office here, Townhouse Graceville in Sembulan, OCBC bank and UOB bank here and Kingfisher Sulaman between Oct 4 and Nov 4 last year.
He was also charged under Section 4(1)(a) of the Act for directly engaged in a transaction that involves proceeds of an unlawful activity involving RM14,000 towards one Cristine Fiona M Ponsoi at Puncak Luyang Condo on Oct 4.
The indictment provides for a jail term of up to 15 years and also liable to a fine of not less than five times the sum or value of the proceeds of an unlawful activity or instrumentalities of an offence at the time the offence was committed, or RM5 million, whichever is the higher, upon conviction.
Ag Tahir and his wife were also jointly charged with two counts of possessing gold jewellery, non-gold jewellery and various luxury items, including handbags, at Graceville in Sembulan on Oct 4, under Section 4 (1)(b) of the Act and read together under Section 34 of the Penal Code.
Lim faces four charges under Section 4 (1)(b) of the Act for a similar offence.
He was alleged to have possessed cash amounting to RM2.38 million at the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) office in Jalan UMS and a Toyota Land Cruiser vehicle at a house in Jalan Penempatan here between Oct 13 and Nov 8 last year.
Lim was released after he paid his RM1 million bail through a bank draft.
Deputy public prosecutor Anas Mahadzir acted for the prosecution while Perira appeared together with counsels Hairul Vaiyron and Ariel Dasan.