Lawyer Cites Icac Letter Clearing Musa Aman Of Corruption Charges

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Defence counsel for former Sabah chief minister Musa Aman has indicated that they will fight the money laundering and corruption charges mounted against the Sungai Sibuga assemblyperson

Lawyer Ng Aik Guan also questioned two certifications submitted by Malaysian diplomatic officers in Hong Kong and Singapore to the prosecution in relation to alleged offences linked to Musa in the two countries
"So far, in terms of authenticity and signature of the officers, there is nothing to dispute. But in terms of the propriety of the contents, that is a matter of dispute," said Ng
He then indicated to Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court judge Rozina Ayub a formal application would be made to challenge the contents of the certifications
"We find it strange that our diplomatic officers in Hong Kong and Singapore issued the certification under Section 82(2) of Amla for these 16 charges,” he said in reference to Musa's new charges which were heard today
Earlier today, Musa was slapped with 16 charges under Section 4(1) of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001, amounting to some US$37.8 million
Ng argued that the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) in Hong Kong - where the offences were allegedly committed - had in December 2011 formally informed his client they had completed their investigations and had classified it as “No Further Action”
Ng reiterated that then de facto law minister Nazri Abdul Aziz (photo) had in 2012 cleared Musa of the allegations, although the Padang Rengas MP himself had said it was wrong for Musa to cite his name
Musa had involved Nazri last November after he claimed trial to the first 35 charges of receiving bribes totalling US$63 million in exchange for logging contracts in Sabah.
Responding to Ng, deputy public prosecutor Raja Rozela Raja Toran said the certifications were only issued to provide jurisdiction for a Malaysian court to hear the case, although the offences were allegedly committed overseas
"The issue of 'no further action' by a foreign authority does not arise," she added
Justice Rozina gave both parties one month to file any relevant applications and fixed July 15 and July 26 as tentative trial dates. - Mkini

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