KUALA LUMPUR: A chartered arbitrator of British nationality was ordered to enter his defence to a count of cheating the director of the Kuala Lumpur Regional Centre of Arbitration (KLRCA) and making a false declaration in 2010.
The Sessions Court issued the order against Yusof Holmes Abdullah, 71, over the charge related to his appointment as an arbitrator in a dispute between JMR Construction Sdn Bhd and Nanjing Changjiang Waterway Engineering Bureau.
Yusof was accused of cheating the KLRCA director via a false Statement of Independence, dated Jan 18, 2010, which induced the latter to appoint him as an arbitrator in the dispute between both firms.
Yusof, who has a permanent resident status and married to a Malaysian woman, allegedly committed the offence at KLRCA here on Jan 25, 2010.
If convicted, he may be jailed up to five years, fined or both.
Judge Mohd Nasir Nordin set five days beginning March 14 for the defence stage of the trial, where five witnesses would be called to testify.
Deputy public prosecutor Hanim Mohd Rashid appeared for the prosecution, which had called 13 people to give oral evidence during the prosecution stage of trial.
Counsel Alex De Silva acted for Yusof, who also faced a separate criminal case involving his alleged soliciting of RM6 million as a bribe from the owner of JMR Construction.