KUALA LUMPUR: Umno Secretary-General Datuk Ahmad Maslan's corruption case at the High Court here was taken off today as he had come into close contact with a Covid-19 positive person.
Ahmad's counsel Hamidi Mohd Noh said his client was in close contact with a Covid-19 positive person in parliament yesterday.
His case was fixed for first mention today, where he is facing money laundering and giving false statements to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) charges.
Meanwhile, deputy public prosecutor Mohd Mukhzany Fariz Mohd Mokhtar said the Attorney-General's Chambers had received a representation letter from the defence team.
Judge Datuk Ahmad Kamal Md Shahid said any application can be made before the start of the trial which has been fixed to commence in June next year.
The court had fixed June 7, 8, 9; June 13, 14, 15; July 18, 19, 20, 21; July 25, 26, 27, 28; Aug 15, 16, 17, 18, 19; and Aug 22, 23, 24, 25 as trial dates.
On July 13, Judge Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah allowed Ahmad's application to have his case transferred from the Sessions Court to the High Court.
Ahmad, 53, is facing a charge of money laundering by not declaring his real income to the Inland Revenue Board (IRB) on the RM2 million he received from former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
This is a violation of Section 113(1)(a) of the Income Tax Act 1967.
The former deputy Finance Minister purportedly received the money from Najib via a cheque dated Nov 27, 2013, which he (Ahmad) personally cashed the same day.
The offence was allegedly committed at the IRB, Duta branch, Government Office Complex, in Jalan Tuanku Abdul Halim on April 30, 2014.
The charge under Section 4(1)(a) of Amlatfapuaa, carries a fine or five years jail, or both, if convicted.
The Pontian Member of Parliament also faces another charge of giving false statements to the MACC when he was being questioned by the agency's investigating officer, Mohd Zairi Zainal over the matter.
He allegedly committed the offence at a media conference room at the Parliament building at Jalan Parliament here, between 2.45pm and 3.30pm on July 4, 2019.
The charge, framed under Section 32 (8)(c) of the same Act, carries a maximum fine of RM3 million, or imprisonment for up to five years, or both, if convicted.