Friday, December 30, 2011

'Datuk' charged with cheating NFC boss



A man who had claimed to be a 'datuk'  pleaded not guilty today to cheating the director of National Feedlot Corporation of almost RM2 million in consultation fees.

NONEShamsulbahrin Ismail, 45, faces two counts of cheating under Section 420 of the Penal Code at the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court.

Shamsulbahrin is accused of cheating NFC director Mohamad Salleh Ismail into handing over cheques for the sum of over RM1.755 million at Solaris Mont Kiara between Nov 25 and Dec 6, 2011.

He is also charged with cheating by promising Mohamad Salleh "consultancy services" which he knew he could not deliver, in order to charge a fee, at a restaurant in Bukit Tunku, Kuala Lumpur on Nov 20, 2011.

Shamsulbahrin, in a blue striped shirt and a blazer, appeared calm.

He was first arrested on Dec 22 for attempting to bribe police investigating officers in the NFC probe, and had his remand extended three times this week.
Shamsulbahrin, who owns several companies including a limousine service outlet, was handed over to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission hours after he was detained by the police.
If found guilty, Shamsulbahrin faces a jail term between one and 10 years.
Bail set at RM300,000
Judge Ahmad Zamzani Mohd Zain set bail at RM300,000 with one surety. The accused has to surrender his international passport.

The Shamsulbahrin Ismail Resources Sdn Bhd chief executive officer will not post bail today as he cannot raise the funds.

The case is set for mention on Jan 31.

The accused is still under police investigation, and is reportedly under probe for 10 separate cheating cases.

His lawyer, J Rao, asked for the court to consider a lower amount for the father of four as his personal and company assets have been frozen under the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act on Dec 23 and the Anti-Money Laundering Act on Dec 27.

According to deputy public prosecutor and MACC prosecution chief Abdul Razak Musa, Mohamad Salleh is the complainant in the case and will be a main witness.

“It was initially believed that the RM1.755 million was to be used to influence someone, but this was found to be untrue,” he told reporters later.

He added that the accused’s datukship still stands as there is no documentation that the latter had rejected it or the offer was rescinded.

However, Rao said that Shamsulbahrin had rejected the offer made by the Pahang palace in 2009.

NONE“It is not right to call him datuk,” the lawyer told reporters.
Both Abdul Razak and Rao said that Shamsulbahrin is not related to Mohamad Salleh.
Mohamad Salleh (left), who is NFC chairperson, has denied that the “datuk” was related to him or his wife, Women, Family and Community Development Minister Shahrizat Abdul Jalil.

The NFC fiasco hogged national attention following the 2010 Auditor-General’s Report saying that NFC had failed to comply with the objectives of its formation after a soft loan of RM250 million was given by the government.

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