Ramasamy to sue those spreading ‘defamatory’ posts on CBT charges

 His lawyer, Shamsher Singh Thind, urged all parties to refrain from speculative comments on the case and to allow due process to take its course.

P Ramasamy and his lawyer Shamsher Singh Thind (right) arriving for a hearing of a defamation suit in George Town last year.

PETALING JAYA:

 Urimai chairman P Ramasamy has threatened to sue social media users spreading allegedly defamatory posts concerning his 17 charges of criminal breach of trust involving funds of the Penang Hindu Endowments Board.

His lawyer, Shamsher Singh Thind, said all parties should refrain from making speculative comments on the case, and allow due process to take its course.

Shamsher said the charges against Ramasamy were about not obtaining the endowments board’s approval for the transfer of more than RM859,000 between 2019 and 2022 for various purposes.

Ramasamy was deputy chief minister of Penang and chairman of the board at the time.

Shamsher said in a statement: “It is not that Ramasamy made the payments to himself, his relatives, or his associates. It is just that there was no ‘prior approval’ from the board.

“Whether or not Ramasamy made all 17 payments without prior approval from the board, it is something for the court to decide when the time comes.”

He said Ramasamy had instructed that legal action be taken against those spreading defamatory posts and false information about him.

On Wednesday, Ramasamy claimed trial to 17 counts of criminal breach of trust. He is accused of using RM859,131.29 in PHEB funds between May 2019 and February 2022 without obtaining the board’s formal approval.

Thirteen charges were linked to the procurement of a gold-plated Thaipusam chariot for RM779,131.29 in 2019. Two charges concerned RM65,000 in medical assistance for two persons, while two other charges involved RM15,000 in education sponsorships. - FMT