SHAH ALAM (Aug 1): The director general of the Maritime Department has claimed trial at the Sessions Court on Thursday for cheating his predecessor four years ago.

Capt Mohamad Halim Ahmad, 57, was charged with cheating the then director general of Maritime Department, Datuk Baharin Abdul Hamid, in presenting a letter from the Transport Ministry with reference number MOT 600-4/1/1 Jld 3 (43) dated Oct 27, 2020.

The alleged letter said that the transport minister had on Oct 22, 2020 decided that shipping companies that have been given exemption to transport heavy-grade oil in Malaysian waters on the date of the approval be given the go-ahead to transport it, when no approval had been given.

This has resulted in Baharin issuing the exemption letter to the shipping companies, which Baharin would not have done unless he had been duped to do so.

Mohamad Halim was charged under Section 417 of the Penal Code that carries a maximum jail term of five years, or a fine, or both.

In 2020, Mohamad Halim was the secretary of Maritime at the Transport Ministry.

Deputy public prosecutors (DPPs) Ahmad Feisal Mohd Azmi and Muaz Ahmad asked Sessions Court judge Datuk Anita Harun to impose a bail of between RM50,000 and RM70,000 and that Mohamad Halim report to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) office once a month and that his passport be surrendered.

However, Mohamad Halim’s counsel Farhan Read said that normally, the bail imposed would be on the amount of losses, but in this matter, the amount of the losses was not stipulated.

Farhan also said the court should not impose conditions such as reporting to the MACC office and surrendering passport, as bail is allowed.

Farhan also informed the court that Mohamad Halim had been cleared of the allegation in an internal inquiry conducted by the department, and he was puzzled as to why his client is charged now.

“Mohamad Halim had only been informed last night to come to court,” he added.

The lawyer asked for a bail of RM10,000 as the accused is also a senior officer with the government.

Ahmad Feisal in reply said the conditions imposed — reporting to the nearest MACC office and surrender of passport — had been allowed by other Sessions Courts in the past, including in the Toh Puan Na’imah Abdul Khalid case.

“The court is entitled to impose the conditions, and furthermore this is a public interest matter as the accused person is a director general,” the DPP added.

Following this, Anita fixed bail at RM20,000 with one surety and ordered Mohamad Halim to report to the MACC headquarters in Shah Alam once a month as well as to surrender his passport.

She fixed Oct 7 for case management and ordered the prosecution to hand over documents that are to be used in the trial to the defence.

Anita also ordered Mohamad Halim not to use his position to influence possible witnesses who could testify in the trial.