RAMASAMY PLEADS NOT GUILTY TO 17 CBT CHARGES INVOLVING PHEB FUNDS

BUTTERWORTH, May 14 (Bernama) -- Former Penang Deputy Chief Minister II Dr P. Ramasamy was charged in the Sessions Court here today on 17 counts of criminal breach of trust (CBT)  involving funds belonging to the Penang Hindu Endowment Board (PHEB) totalling RM859,131.29.

Ramasamy, 76, pleaded not guilty to all the charges before Judge Zulhazmi Abdullah.

On all the 13 counts, Ramasamy, was charged as the then PHEB chairman entrusted with the funds, to have committed CBT by dishonestly misusing the funds to pay a total of RM779,131.29 in separate payments via cheque and telegraphic transfer for the purchase of a gold chariot to two different companies without first obtaining approval from the PHEB meeting.

He is accused of committing the offences in the Timur Laut district between 2019 and 2023.

Ramasamy was also charged with another two counts of making a similar offence, involving payments totalling RM65,000 via cheques to two individuals for medical expenses without obtaining the approval of the PHEB meeting.

Ramasamy is charged with committing the offence at a bank in the Timur Laut district on March 9, 2020, and August 24, 2021.

He is also charged with two other similar charges of making separate payments totalling RM15,000 via cheques to two students for educational financial assistance payments without obtaining the approval of the PHEB meeting at the same bank on January 5 and February 9, 2022.

All the 17 charges were framed under Section 409 of the Penal Code, which provides a maximum prison sentence of 20 years with whipping and a fine, if convicted.

Earlier, the prosecution, represented by deputy public prosecutors Noor Azura Zulkiflee and Nurnajihatul Idayu Mohd Azuyar, requested bail at RM90,000 for all charges against Ramasamy and also for him to surrender his passport to the court and to report himself at a MACC office once a month.

However, Ramasamy’s lawyer,  Dr Shamsher Singh Thind, requested that the bail be reduced on the grounds that his client, who holds a doctorate in political science from the Universiti Malaya and was once a lecturer at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, is currently unemployed and dependent on his pension money.

He said Ramasamy, who has three children and three grandchildren, is currently the Chairman of the United for the Rights of Malaysians (Urimai) Malaysian People's Rights Alliance Party (Urimai).

He is a social figure who often voices issues concerning the people, especially the Indian community in the country, said Shamsher Singh.

Ramasamy is also represented by lawyers Eng Yuh Pei and Archana Chandrasekaran, while lawyer  Datuk Selva Mookiah is holding a watching brief for PHEB.

The court allowed Ramasamy bail of RM78,000 with one surety for all charges and imposed additional conditions as requested by the prosecution.

The court also set July 15 for mention.

Ramasamy, who is also a former DAP deputy chairman, was PHEB chairman from 2008 until 2023 before announcing leaving DAP, which he joined in 2005  and served for 18 years.

He was appointed as Deputy Chief Minister II after winning the Perai state seat,  and also the Batu Kawan parliamentary seat in the 12th General Election (GE-12) in 2008.

In August last year, the current PHEB chairman, RSN Rayer, submitted the findings of an internal forensic audit to the MACC for further investigation, but did not detail the nature of the findings, which allegedly contained several important clues.

-- BERNAMA