CBT CHARGE FOR EX-SPY CHIEF
Hasanah claims trial to CBT involving RM50 m of public funds
FORMER Malaysian External Intelligence Organisation (MEIO) chief Datuk Hasanah Abdul Hamid was charged yesterday with criminal breach of trust (CBT) involving RM50.4 million of public funds.
The 61-year-old, however, claimed trial as soon as the charge was read before Sessions judge Azman Ahmad.
Hasanah, while being the director-general of the Research Division of the Prime Minister’s Department, was accused of committing CBT by misappropriating US$12.1 million (RM50.4 million) belonging to the government.
The Research Division of the PM’s Department is the official name of MEIO.
Hasanah was alleged to have committed the offence between April 30 and May 9 at her office at the Prime Minister’s Department Complex in Putrajaya.
She was charged under Section 409 of the Penal Code, which carries a sentence of up to 20 years’ imprisonment, caning and fine upon conviction.
Former Federal Court judge Datuk Seri Gopal Sri Ram, acting as lead prosecutor, urged the court to set bail at RM1 million in two sureties.
However, counsel Datuk Shaharudin Ali, representing Hasanah, requested a lower sum of RM300,000 as his client was getting old, weak and unable to move around as healthy people.
He said there was no flight risk, as could be seen by her staying in the country after the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission released her on Sept 3.
“The accused is a former intelligence chief, whose role is much the same as the police special branch director and military intelligence chief.
“That we have been at peace all this while is (partly) due to the duties carried out by my client, and one of the duties is to identify and go after enemies of the nation, who want to destroy us, whether from within or from the outside,” he said.
Shaharudin said Hasanah had retired from the civil service with a RM10,000 pension, but her bank accounts had been frozen.
He informed the court that her case was neither related to former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and former Treasury secretary-general Tan Sri Dr Mohd Irwan Serigar Abdullah, nor 1Malaysia Development Bhd.
Deputy public prosecutor Raja Kamal Bahrin Omar countered Shaharudin’s arguments, saying the bail suggested by the prosecution was reasonable considering that the charge involved US$12.1 million.
“There is a flight risk, even though the accused has been blacklisted (by the Immigration Department).
“Plus, the accused held a high post (in the government), which was director-general of an intelligence organisation. So, it is appropriate that the amount is higher than that of a regular person.”
Azman set bail of RM500,000 in two sureties and ordered Hasanah to hand over her passport to the court.
He set Nov 29 for re-mention. Shaharudin applied for the case to be heard in the High Court.