KUALA LUMPUR: A former sales manager of Aidil Travel & Tours Sdn Bhd testified in the Sessions Court today that RM222,811.95 was deposited into the personal bank account of Datuk Seri Azlan Man after the former Perlis Menteri Besar canceled a family vacation to London, United Kingdom, in 2016.
Abdul Rahim Halim, 47, said that the package, scheduled from Dec 23, 2016, to Jan 1, 2017, amounted to RM253,195.40 and was paid for by the Perlis state government.
“The 2016 vacation did not proceed, but a sum of RM222,811.95 was refunded to Azlan’s personal account via a cheque dated Jan 24, 2017, following instructions from the then-Senior Private Secretary to the Menteri Besar of Perlis, Herwadey Hashim.
“This amount (RM222,811.95) reflects a 12 percent deduction from the RM253,195.40 paid, as a service charge by Aidil Travel & Tours Sdn Bhd,“ he said.
Abdul Rahim was reading his witness statement on the sixth day of the trial involving the former Bintong state assemblyman, who faces 10 charges of submitting false claims and receiving proceeds from unlawful activities.
Yesterday, the director of Sri Kedawang Travel & Tours (W) Sdn Bhd, Alimah Omar, 66, testified that the refund, totaling RM629,395.30, was supposed to be made to the Perlis State Secretary’s Office (SUK).
However, she was informed that the refund claim was made by Azlan, resulting in the cheque being issued in his name.
Abdul Rahim stated that he handed the refund cheque to Herwadey at Alamanda, Putrajaya, in 2017.
He added that the state government also booked a vacation package for Azlan and his family to London between Nov 23 and 30, 2017, and approved a payment of RM244,079.30 to Aidil Travel & Tours.
“Herwadey contacted me and requested that I prepare a quotation for the Perlis Menteri Besar’s family trip to London, based on the amount he was entitled to,“ said Abdul Rahim, who is now a Director at Corporate Travel Advisor Sdn Bhd.
When deputy public prosecutor Haresh Prakash Somiah asked why the witness agreed with Azlan’s lawyer, Azhar Amir, that the travel agency took no action after receiving the payment for the vacation package, Abdul Rahim responded, “I was instructed by Herwadey to return the money to the Menteri Besar of Perlis (Azlan).”
Haresh: En. Abdul Rahim, why did you agree with the lawyer, that the vacation tickets were never booked because they never existed, yet in your witness statement, you say there was a cancellation of the vacation package?
Abdul Rahim: The cancellation referred to the quotation I provided earlier.
Azlan, 65, faces five counts of false claims for overseas vacation allowances amounting to 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.
The charges involve quotations for flight tickets to London and invoices from Sri Kedawang Travel & Tours (W) Sdn Bhd and Aidil Travel & Tours Sdn Bhd.
He is charged under Section 18 of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2009, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a fine of five times the value of the bribe or RM10,000, whichever is higher upon conviction.
The trial before Judge Azura Alwi resumes tomorrow.
