PKFZ: Ex-GM's case postponed to Oct 26

The case against former Port Klang Authority general manager OC Phang charged with criminal breach of trust (CBT) involving the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal has been postponed to Oct 26.

This follows the decision by Klang Sessions Court judge Asmadi Hussain to allow the application of postponement made by the accused.

Lawyer Francis Ng Aik Guan, representing Phang (left), applied to adjourn the case when the hearing started this morning.

Ng argued that the accused is still waiting for the reply from the AG's Chambers to an application to make representation which he said, if accepted, would lead to the case's disposal “soon”.

Ng also told the court that they need more time to study 246 documents to study which the defence had only received today from the prosecution.

Justice Asmadi relented to the postponement despite expressing reservations about the lack of progress in the case for almost a year.

“You know the policy of the court. We cannot postpone the case if the reason is not 'luar biasa' (out of the ordinary)," said Asmadi, who vacated the case to 26 to 29 of October.

The court also fixed Sep 30 to begin hearing the related cases of Stephen Abok, Law Jenn Dong and Bernard Tan Seng Swee.

Abok's lawyer Hisham The Poh Teik informed the court that his client's application to make representation to the AG's Chambers was rejected.

Phang, 63, is charged, as general manager entrusted with funds in an account with RHB Bank Berhad, with committing CBT of RM98,700,000 at the Port Klang Authority (PKA) between Oct 1, 2004 and Sept 5, 2005.

She is also charged with committing two other similar offences involving RM21,600,000 and RM134,550,000 at the same place between Sept 30, 2005, and May 9, 2006, and between June 1, 2005 and Jan 13, 2006.

If convicted, she faces a maximum 20 years jail and liability of a fine on each charge.

Abok, 51, the former chief operating officer of Kuala Dimensi Sdn Bhd (KDSB), the project developer, and Tan, 48, of consultant BTA Architect, are charged with two counts of cheating the PKA involving RM5.42 million in the scandal on July 31 and Sept 21, 2007.

Tan and former Kuala Dimensi project manager Law, 51, are also charged with 24 counts of cheating the PKA to get confirmation for the payment of RM116.85 million to KDSB involving two mammoth projects at the PKFZ between June 30, 2006 and May 30, 2008.

[More to follow]