LUMUT: A former commanding officer of the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) logistic vessel, KD Sri Inderapura, will be charged in the Military Court here over the fire which broke out on board the ship on Oct 8 last year.
DECOMMISSIONED: Abdul Aziz (left) at the decommissioning of KD Sri Inderapura and KTD Sotong at the RMN base in Lumut. — Bernama photo
RMN chief Admiral Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Jaafar said the officer would face two charges and that he would be allowed to engage a lawyer to defend him.
“It is our tradition in RMN to show responsibility in taking care of the country’s asset. It does not mean that the accused person is guilty, but he has to defend himself because a person is not guilty unless proven otherwise,” he told reporters after the decommissioning of KD Sri Inderapura and KTD Sotong at the RMN base yesterday.
He said as the commanding officer of the vessel, he was responsible for anything that happened on board.
“So far, the commanding officer will be the only one to be charged for the incident,” he added.
He said the officer concerned had been informed of the matter and was prepared for the case.
Abdul Aziz said investigation on the incident was still on-going and that similar action would be taken if it was found that there were others who should be held responsible. — Bernama