Tuesday, June 4, 2013

STATUS QUO IN TOURISM MALAYSIA


Tourism Malaysia director-general Datuk Mirza Mohammad Taiyab and Pempena’s former chief operating officer, Mohammad Rosly Md Selamat who were charged with CBT of RM888,000, were acquitted by the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court No.4 on the blessed Friday 18th May 2012.

Everyone in the courtroom including family of Dato Mirza and the press were happy with the results despite the fact that presecution gave notice to appeal.

Ng Yen Yen must have fallen off hear seat when someone prompted to her that Dato Mirza has been acquitted. There goes her game plan to bleed Tourism Malaysia of the vast allocation given for all sorts of programmes.

 Judge Che Mohamad Zulkifly Jusoh ruled that the prosecution had failed to prove a prima facie case against them. Delivering a 3 minute oral judgement before a packed courtroom 3 hours after the appointed time, the judge said that the two did not break any law under the Companies Act.

 The two were charged at the court on August 16 2010 with committing the offense at the Pempena office at Putra World Trade Centre  on February 27, 2007. During the two year trial it was highlighted by the defence team that the money was never transferred to the payee due to some techinical anomaly.

It was the bank ( under instruction from the higher ups) who tranfered the money ( not the original sum) to another party. In an organisation whose culture is hat nothing happens unless the Minister wants it, the prosecution should now go after the Minister then. So far nothing has been done. In fact Minister Ng Yen Yen has got away with a couple of murders.

We like to see Minister Dato Seri Nazri Aziz redeem an innocent Director General who has been  put on trial for close to two years wasting a lot of public time and money. The Malaysia Tourism Federation is happy with the judgement  but is very concerned with the time taken by the judge to deliver judgment which could have been done earlier.

Datuk Mirza has resume duties but with Ng Yen Yen around as Chairman of Tourism Malaysia, it will be status quo.

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