KL court to hear Maju Holdings chairman’s RM145.5mil CBT case

Maju Holdings Sdn Bhd executive chairman Abu Sahid Mohamed arrived in court in a wheelchair.

KUALA LUMPUR: The sessions court here has allowed the transfer of a RM145.5 million criminal breach of trust (CBT) charge against Maju Holdings Sdn Bhd executive chairman Abu Sahid Mohamed from the Shah Alam sessions court.

Judge Suzana Hussin granted the prosecution’s application, made by deputy public prosecutor Ahmad Akram Gharib, for the charge to be tried together with four other CBT charges and 13 money laundering charges already pending before the same court.

The CBT charges involve RM313 million while the money laundering offences concern RM139 million. All 18 charges are linked to the Maju Expressway Extension (MEX II) project.

The 74-year-old, who arrived in a wheelchair, was represented by lawyer Jasbeer Singh.

Sahid was initially charged at the Shah Alam sessions court on Sept 24 with misappropriating company funds by transferring the sum to an escrow account held under Golden Base Construction Sdn Bhd. He claimed trial.

Judge Nasir Nordin subsequently transferred the case to the Kuala Lumpur sessions court after Akram informed the court that Abu Sahid was facing the other CBT and money laundering charges there.

In a separate proceeding before judge Rosli Ahmad, former Maju Holdings director Yap Wee Leong will have his nine document forgery charges amounting to RM220.7 million and nine money laundering charges involving RM388.3 million, previously filed at the Shah Alam sessions court, transferred to the sessions court here for a joint trial.

This followed Rosli’s decision allowing the prosecution’s bid to move the charges to Kuala Lumpur and have them heard together with Yap’s existing 17 forgery charges involving RM314.4 million.

Both cases have been fixed for case management on Jan 8.

Lawyer Abdul Hakeem Aiman represented Yap.