KUALA LUMPUR: Former director of the Asian International Arbitration Centre (AIAC), Datuk Prof Dr N. Sundra Rajoo was today charged with three counts of criminal breach of trust involving over RM1 million of the arbitrary body’s funds.
He claimed trial to the charges at the Sessions Court today before judge Azura Alwi.
Sundra, 63, looked calm as the charges were being read to him in English.
According to the charges, Sundra, who was entrusted with the funds, had committed criminal breach of trust in respect of RM89,700, RM621,172.50 and RM300,495 of the body’s funds.
Sundra, who is an arbitrator, allegedly committed the offence at Bangunan Sulaiman, Jalan Sultan Hishamuddin, here between Dec 8, 2016, and Aug 17, last year.
The offence under Section 409 of the Penal Code carries an imprisonment term of not less than two years and not more than 20 years with whipping and shall also be liable to a fine, if convicted.
Deputy public prosecutor Kamal Bahrin Omar proposed a RM200,000 bail be imposed on the accused for all the charges and for the accused to surrender his passport to the court.
Counsel Datuk Baljit Singh Sidhu who represented Sundra asked for the court to impose a personal bond saying that his client has given full cooperation to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) from the start of the investigation.
“Despite all his (Sundra) scheduled appointments for hearing of cases, he still attends the meetings with MACC from day one. There is no reason for him to flee.
“He has also been hit by conjunctivitis. His eyes are still red,” he said.
Baljit said a fair amount of bail to be imposed is RM50,000.
Azura then allowed RM100,000 bail and set May 3 for case mention and ordered for the accused to surrender his passport to the court.
She also allowed Baljit’s application for Sundra to surrender his passport to the court on April 2 as he will be out of the country for a work-related matter and will return on April 1.
Sundra paid the bail.