KUALA LUMPUR: The Sessions Court was told yesterday that former Perlis Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Azlan Man had booked family trips to London, the United Kingdom totalling RM687,785.40 through the Perlis state government.
Sri Kedawang Travel & Tours (W) Sdn Bhd (SKTT) accounts assistant, Fazilah Jelani, 47, said Azlan made flight, hotel accommodation and transport bookings handled by the tour agency in 2013, 2014 and 2015 and then had all the bookings cancelled, with the refund totalling RM629,395.30 paid to Azlan through a cheque in his name, with the amount minus the cancellation fee.
When asked by deputy public prosecutor Noralis Mat about the cancellation and refund to Azlan, Fazilah said that after receiving the order from the Perlis state government and payment was made, the government should have provided a copy of the passports for the purpose of booking flight tickets and accommodation.
"I was then informed that Datuk Azlan wanted to cancel the booking and asked for a refund," the fifth prosecution witness said on the fourth day of Azlan's trial.
The Bintong assemblyman is facing 10 charges of submitting false claims and receiving funds from illicit activities.
When she was reading her witness testimony earlier, Fazilah confirmed the copy of an invoice from Sri Kedawang Travel & Tours (W) Sdn Bhd dated Dec 11, 2013 totalling RM230,230, which is the cost of the flight tickets, hotel and transport to London on Dec 20, 2013 to Jan 2, 2014 submitted to the Perlis state secretary.
She said based on the invoice totalling RM216,260 dated Dec 17, 2014, it quoted the price for tickets to London and hotel accommodation for Azlan and his family, in the name of the Perlis Menteri Besar's senior private secretary dated Nov 20, 2014.
She also confirmed the quotation of the flight tickets to London and hotel accommodation for Azlan and his family in the name of the Perlis Menteri Besar's senior private secretary totalling RM241,295.40 dated Nov 26, 2015.
"I confirm all deposits of payment for all of Azlan's tour packages to the Sri Kedawang Travel & Tours (W) Sdn Bhd Maybank account were from the Perlis state government," she said, adding that based on the copy of the payment voucher dated Feb 5, 2015 and Jan 20, 2016, she confirmed that the document was for "being refund due to cancel trip" for the bookings made in 2014 and 2015.
She also confirmed that the "refund" document for the 2013 booking was undated.
Azlan, 65, is facing five charges of making false claims for overseas holiday trips worth over RM1.18 million allegedly committed at the Perlis State Secretary's Office, Kompleks Dewan Undangan Negeri, Persiaran Wawasan, Kangar between December 2013 and December 2017 involving quotations of flight tickets to London, the United Kingdom and invoices of tour agency Sri Kedawang Travel & Tours (W) Sdn Bhd dan Aidil Travel & Tours Sdn Bhd.
He also pleaded not guilty to the five counts of receiving money from the illicit activities totalling RM1.06 million between Feb 19, 2014 and December 2017 at the Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman Maybank branch, Putrajaya CIMB Bank branch and Sheraton Imperial Hotel here in the same period.
The trial in front of Judge Azura Alwi continues this Wednesday (Aug 21).– BERNAMA