Luxury items submitted in Otman’s trial
KUALA LUMPUR: Cartier jewellery and luxury watches were among the seized items submitted to the Sessions Court here at the trial of former Youth and Sports Ministry’s finance division under-secretary Otman Arshad.
Otman, 59, was charged with 32 counts of misuse of position and submitting false claims involving RM38.4mil six years ago.
A total of 13 luxury watches ranging from Cartier and Rolex to Tag Heuer, and several pieces of Cartier jewellery were presented at the trial yesterday.
The jewellery seized comprised 23 rings, eight bracelets, two pairs of earrings and a necklace.
The evidence was presented by the 49th prosecution witness, Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) principal senior enforcement assistant Asmawi Kulup Lam.
“All items have been recorded in the confiscation form issued to Otman during the MACC investigation,” he said in reply to deputy public prosecutor Husmarudin Husin during examination-in-chief.
On April 21, 2016, Otman was charged with 64 counts of receiving unlawful proceeds amounting to RM16,623,000 in cheques which were deposited into his account at Maybank, RHB and CIMB Berhad between March 7, 2012, and Dec 11, 2015.
A director of a sports company affiliated with the ministry, Abdul Gafar Abdurahiman, 44, and his wife Siti Rohanah Hussien, 44, a housewife, were also charged with 63 counts each of transferring RM15.7mil, which was the revenue from unlawful activities, from the bank accounts of their three companies to a bank account owned by Otman during the same period.
The three accused had allegedly committed the offence at different locations, including the RHB Bank branch in Precinct 8, Putrajaya; Menara Maybank in Jalan Tun Perak and the Maybank branch in Jalan Raja Laut.
Otman, Abdul Gafar and Siti Rohanah were charged under Section 4(1)(a) of the AntiMoney Laundering and Anti-Terrorism Financing Act 2001, which carries a maximum fine of RM5mil or imprisonment up to five years, or both, if found guilty.
They were also charged under Section 4(1) (b) of the Anti-Money Laundering and AntiTerrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001, which carries a maximum jail term of 15 years and fine of not less than five times the sum of the unlawful activity’s proceeds, if convicted.
Abdul Gafar and Siti Rohanah were represented by lawyer Datuk Seri Jahaberdeen Mohamed Yunoos.
The trial before Judge Azura Alwi continues today.