KUALA LUMPUR: Marine Department director-general Captain Mohamad Halim Ahmed has gone on leave following his indictment at the Sessions Court here on Aug 1 for allegedly deceiving his predecessor.
Transport Minister Anthony Loke confirmed that Halim had been told to go on leave.
"That said, the principle that he is innocent until proven guilty stands. This is a procedure within the civil service that he goes on leave," he told reporters after attending a special joint operation on tour buses and public transport at the Road Transport Department's Gombak Enforcement Station here today (Tuesday)."He will not be reporting for duty while the legal proceedings go on," he said.
It was reported that Halim, who was the Transport Ministry's maritime division secretary at the time of the offence, had allegedly deceived his boss Datuk Baharin Abdul Hamid into issuing exemption letters for shipping companies four years ago.
The letters were to allow the companies to bring heavy grade oil into Malaysian waters without the approval of the transport minister.
Halim said he understood the charge and pleaded not guilty before judge Datuk Anita Harun.