KOTA BARU: A court proceeding involving two company directors, who were supposed to be charged with 51 counts of cheating people of RM503,221 for umrah packages, has been postponed to Feb 13.
Magistrate Ahmad Shafiq Aizat Nazri fixed the new date after the duo- Emraz Travel & Tours Sdn Bhd directors Datuk Zulkarnain Endut, 43, and his wife Datin Mazuin Mustafa, 43, - failed to turn up in court today.
The couple's lawyer, Ahmad Nizam Mohamed, who was assisting Datuk Hanif Hassan, told the court that both of his clients were on sick leave.
Deputy public prosecutors from the Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry, who were led by Mohd Sophian Zakaria, Suhana Mohd and Shafiq Mahadi, applied for the court to set a new date soon.
"We were only informed this morning that the accused will not attend court today due to them being on sick leave. As this case involves public interest and a big number of victims, we urge the court to give a new date within a short-term period.
"Both of the accused are suppose to face 51 charges today involving losses amounting to thousands of ringgit. They had also been recently charged with 63 counts of the same offence in Putrajaya," the lawyers told the court.
The court fixed Feb 13 as a new date for the couple to face all the charges simultaneously.
On Jan 15, Berita Harian reported that an umrah package operator company and its two directors had been charged at the Putrajaya magistrate's court with 63 counts for failure to abide by a Tribunal for Consumer Claims Malaysia (TTPM) decision to award claims amounting to RM589,031 to 21 victims.
The company, Emraz Travel & Tours Sdn Bhd had been represented by Zulkarnain and Mazuin, who are its directors.
The couple had pleaded not guilty to the charges in front of magistrate Irza Zulaikha Rohanuddin.
On July 8 last year, Bernama quoted Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing as saying that it had suspended the licence of Emraz Travel & Tours Sdn Bhd for six months, effective July 10, 2023 until Jan 9, 2024. (https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2023/07/928841/tourism-ministry-emraz...)
Lembaga Tabung Haji had also suspended the licence of the same company on April 2 in the same year in a move to protect the welfare of prospective haj pilgrims following public complaints about their umrah services.