Kota Kinabalu: The trial of two former officials of the Sabah Water Department and the wife of one of them, charged with money-laundering, was rescheduled to Sept 12-15, this year.
The date was fixed for the department’s former Director Awang Mohd Tahir Awang Mohd Talib, 58, his wife Fauziah Piut, 55, and former Deputy Director Lim Lam Beng, 66.
On Dec 29, 2016, Mohd Tahir and Fauziah, along with Lim, had pleaded not guilty separately to 37 counts of money-laundering, involving RM61.57 million.
The offence under Section 4(1) (b) of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001, carries a jail term of up to 15 years and liability of a fine of not less than five times the sum or value of the proceeds of unlawful activity or instrumentalities of an offence at the time the offence was committed or five million ringgit, whichever is the higher, on conviction.
So far, the prosecution had called 25 witnesses in the hearing which started in 2018 before Sessions Court Judge Abu Bakar Manat.
Mohd Tahir, Fauziah and Lim are currently released on bail pending the disposal of their case.
Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Zander Lim Wai Keong, together with DPP Mahadi Abdul Jumaat from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), acted for the prosecution, while Mohd Tahir and Fauziah were represented by counsel Marcel Jude and counsel Datuk Tan Hock Chuan, and Lim by and Karpaljit Singh.
