Former Perlis MB Azlan Man faces Jan 20, 2027 decision in RM1.18m false claims trial

Detailed summary

The Sessions Court here will decide on Jan 20 whether former Perlis Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Azlan Man will be called to enter his defence or acquitted ...

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 13 — The Sessions Court here will decide on Jan 20 whether former Perlis Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Azlan Man will be called to enter his defence or acquitted of 10 charges involving alleged false claims and receiving proceeds of illegal activities.

Judge Azura Alwi fixed the date after hearing submissions from the prosecution and defence at the end of the prosecution’s case.

The court also set Feb 10 to 12, March 26, and April 16 and 30, 2027, as trial dates should Azlan be ordered to enter his defence.

Earlier, Deputy Public Prosecutor Noralis Mat submitted that Azlan had made five claims for overseas travel facilities between 2013 and 2017, purportedly in his capacity as Menteri Besar, although investigations found that the trips did not take place on the stated dates.

“The 18th prosecution witness (SP18), former Senior Private Secretary to Azlan, Herwardy Hashim, testified that he was instructed by the accused to provide his bank account number to SP10, former managing director of Sri Kedawang Travel & Tour (W) Sdn Bhd (SKTT), Shafiei Ismail, for the purpose of depositing money received by SKTT into the accused’s account.

“This was because the accused wanted to cancel the trip that had been approved through a local order (LO) and undertake the trip himself,” he said.

Noralis said the testimony of the 17th prosecution witness, former Assistant Accountant at the Management Services Division of the Perlis State Secretary’s Office, Mohd Aswad Abdul Razak, established that claims for overseas holiday travel facilities could not be converted into cash.

He said the allocation was intended to cover overseas travel expenses, while payment to the travel agent had already been confirmed by the Menteri Besar’s Office.

He added that this was supported by the testimony of SP12, Perlis Treasury representative Azmi Abdul Latif, who said Azlan could not receive reimbursement for overseas holiday travel claims that had already been made between 2013 and 2017.

Opening of the article, excerpted from Malay Mail. To read the rest, open the article on the publisher's site.