KUALA LUMPUR: Former deputy finance minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan, who was charged with money laundering and giving false statements to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), will have his trial heard in the High Court.
Judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah made the decision today after allowing Ahmad's application to have his case transferred from the Sessions Court to the High Court.
Ahmad's lawyer Hamidi Mohd Noh confirmed this when contacted today.
"Justice Collin allowed our application on grounds that there are serious questions of law arising from the charges, especially in the charges under Section 32 of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001 (AMLATFPUAA).
"There were also two other cases which are similar in nature and the cases were transferred to the High Court as well...one of them is the case of Tan Sri Shahrir Abdul Samad (former Felda chairman)," he said.
Meanwhile, deputy public prosecutor Mohd Mukhzany Fariz Mohd Mokhtar said the prosecution had no objections to the case being transferred to the High Court.
Ahmad, 53, is facing a charge of money laundering by not declaring his real income to the Inland Revenue Board (IRB) on the RM2 million he received from former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
This is a violation of Section 113(1)(a) of the Income Tax Act 1967.
The Umno secretary-general purportedly received the money from Najib via a cheque dated Nov 27, 2013, which he (Ahmad) personally cashed the same day.
The offence was allegedly committed at the IRB, Duta branch, Government Office Complex, in Jalan Tuanku Abdul Halim on April 30, 2014.
The charge under Section 4(1)(a) of Amlatfapuaa, carries a fine or five years jail, or both, if convicted.
The Pontian Member of Parliament also faces another charge of giving false statements to the MACC when he was being questioned by the agency's investigating officer, Mohd Zairi Zainal over the matter.
He allegedly committed the offence at a media conference room at the Parliament building at Jalan Parliament here, between 2.45pm and 3.30pm on July 4, 2019.
The charge, framed under Section 32 (8)(c) of the same Act, carries a maximum fine of RM3 million, or imprisonment for up to five years, or both, if convicted.