Court sets 20 days from April 1 to hear Shahrir Samad's money laundering case

KUALA LUMPUR: The trial of former Felda chairman Tan Sri Shahrir Ab Samad, who is charged with failing to declare the RM1 million which received from Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak to the Inland Revenue Board (IRB), will begin on April 1 at the Sessions Court here.

Deputy public prosecutor Mohd Afif Ali , when contacted by Bernama via the WhatsApp today, stated that the court had set 20 days for the hearing which will be before Judge Azura Alwi.

The dates are April 1, 2, 22 and 23; June 29 and 30; Aug 12 and 13; Sept 1 and 17; Oct 4,5,18 and 25 ; Nov 5, 11 and 12 and Dec 6,7 and 8 December, he said, adding that the prosecution is expected to call 19 witnesses.

Meanwhile, Shahrir’s lawyer, Syahrul Syazwan Salehin, said the High Court had also set March 1 for mention to determine the status of his client’s application to transfer the case from the Sessions Court to the High Court.

Shahrir, 72, is charged with money laundering by not stating his real income in the Income Tax Return Form for Assessment Year 2013, which is a violation of Section 113(1)(a) of the Income Tax Act 1967, on the RM1 million, believed to be from unlawful activities which he received from Najib through a AmIslamic Bank Berhad cheque dated Nov 27, 2013.

The cheque was then deposited into his (Shahrir) Public Islamic Bank account on Nov 28, 2013.

He was charged with committing the offence at IRB, Duta branch, Government Office Complex, Jalan Tuanku Abdul Halim here on April 25, 2014.

The charge, framed under Section 4(1)(a) of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001, provides a maximum fine of RM5 million, or imprisonment for up to five years, or both, if found guilty.

-- BERNAMA