The crime stories that make headlines

Court cases on the gruesome murder of cosmetics queen Sosilawati Lawiya, the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal, Teoh Beng Hock's inquest and the graft charge against former Selangor menteri besar Dr Mohd Khir Toyo were the attention grabbers over the past 12 months.

However, the much-awaited Anwar Ibrahim's second sodomy trial was marked by application after application, mainly by the defence team headed by counsel Karpal Singh.

So far, only four prosecution witnesses have been called - the complainant Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan and three specialists from Kuala Lumpur Hospital who examined Mohd Saiful on June 28, 2008, two days after the alleged sodomy occurred.

The murder of Sosilawati and three others resulted in a senior lawyer from Banting, N Patmanabhan and his three farm workers to be charged in the Teluk Datok Magistrate's Court on Oct 13 after the victims were reported missing since the eve (Aug 30) of National Day.

The case was set for re-mention on Jan 27.

The inquest into the death of Teoh Beng Hock, the political aide of a Selangor state executive councillor, finally came to end as coroner Azmil Muntapha Abas will give the verdict on Jan 5.

The inquest saw much courtroom drama with Teoh's family members present and Selangor state government-hired Thai forensic pathologist Dr Pornthip Rojanasunand giving her expert view that Teoh unlikely had commited suicide.

PKFZ scandal enters its second phase

British forensic pathologist Dr Peter Vaneziz, appointed by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to assist in the inquest, opined that Teoh, 30, was not murdered or thrown out of a high building as the injuries sustained by Teoh were consistent with a fall from a height, such as from the 14th floor.

The fatal shooting of 15-year-old Aminulrasyid Amzah by a police corporal also received wide coverage where policeman Jenain Subi, 48, claimed trial to causing the death of the schoolboy.

The multi-billion scandal of PKFZ entered its second phase with former transport minister Ling Liong Sik charged in the Putrajaya Sessions Court with cheating the government with regard to PKFZ involving land acquisition amounting to RM1.08 billion in Pulau Indah eight years ago.

Ling, 67, the former MCA president, also faced an alternative charge of cheating the cabinet by dishonestly hiding facts on the alleged transaction.

The trial is set to begin on May 3 next year in the Kuala Lumpur High Court.

Dr Mohd Khir was charged with one count of graft in the Shah Alam Sessions Court in relation to two plots of land in Section 7.

The 45-year-old politician claimed trial to obtaining the two plots of land at half the price of the market value for himself and his wife, Zahrah Kechik, 45.

He is alleged to have bought the two lots at No 8 & 10, Jalan Suasa 7/1L, Shah Alam, from Ditamas Sdn Bhd at RM3.5 million when the market value was RM6.5 million.

Other cases

• Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) sergeant N Tharmendran and a supply company director were charged in court over missing two F5 jet engines. Investigators traced the missing engines to Uruguay.

• Former Sabah police commissioner Ramli Yusoff was cleared of his final charge of holding a post in an agriculture company while still in the police force.
  
  Ramli, was charged with holding a director's post in Kinsajaya Sdn Bhd (Kinsajaya) while still the Bukit Aman commercial crime director.

• Tourism Malaysia director-general Mirza Mohammad Taiyab Beg Mirza Hadi Hassan Beg, 53, was in the dock again after he was acquitted and discharged from a charge of corruptly accepting dental treatment worth RM13,860, in 2004.
  
  On Aug 16, he was slapped with a much more serious charge where he and Pempena chief operating officer Mohammad Rosly Md Selamat were charged with criminal breach of trust (CBT) involving RM888,000 three years ago.

• Immigration Department director-general Wahid Md Don was freed on Oct 15 without being ordered to enter his defence by the Sessions Court, of allegedly accepting a bribe of RM60,000 to expedite the approval of visas for Bangladeshi workers in 2008.
  
  Wahid's deputy Yusof Abu Bakar, however, was sentenced to a total of 56 years' jail and fined RM620,000 after he was found guilty on 14 counts of having received RM121,500 in bribes for approving the visit passes of Chinese nationals two years ago.

• Despatch rider Raja Mohamad Faizal Raja Ibrahim, 24, and his brother Raja Mohamad Izham, 22, were sentenced to five years' jail by the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court on Aug 13, after they were found guilty of causing mischief by fire by torching the Metro Tabernacle Church, Desa Melawati in early January.

• Perak Syariah Court judge Hassan Basri Markum was sentenced to a total of 19 years' jail and fined RM210,000 after he was found guilty of seven corruption charges by the Ipoh Sessions Court.

Battles in court

Former Sultan of Kelantan, Tuanku Ismail Petra, filed a petition seeking the opinion of the apex court to determine several questions of law on whether Sultan Muhammad V, then acting as the regent of the state, among others, had the authority to remove and appoint any member of the council of succession.

The Federal Court on Nov 26 dismissed the petition and ruled that the regent of Kelantan assumed full power of the Sultan under the Kelantan state constitution, once the ruler was incapacitated.

In the case of Sagong Tasi vs Selangor government, the court recognised the rights of the Orang Asli to their native customary land in Bukit Tampoi, Dengkil, which was taken to build a highway to the KL international airport (KLIA).

The High Court granted non-Muslim woman lawyer Victoria Jayaseele Martin leave application for a judicial review for a mandamus order to compel the Federal Territory Islamic Religious Council to accept her as a syarie lawyer without regard that she is a non-Muslim.

In the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, a key requirement for a syarie lawyer is that one has to be a Muslim. The court set Feb 21 to hear the application.

Source : Bernama