KOTA KINABALU: A former general manager of state-owned Sabah Land Development Board (SLDB) and a palm oil plantation owner have been acquitted of criminal breach of trust totalling RM9mil.
Former SLDB manager George @ Juaari Majid walked out of court a free man on Friday after Sessions Court judge Abu Bakar Manat ruled that the prosecution had failed to establish a prima facie against him.
Abu Bakar also freed plantation owner How Kim San, 55, who had been accused of abetting George.
George had been accused of approving the RM9mil payment to How in four transactions between March 22 and Aug 14, 2013.
He was accused of approving the payment for 164ha of land at Kampung Babason in Sook at Keningau district and the compensation for the crops without the approval of the SLDB board of directors and the state Finance Ministry.
George, who was charged under Section 409 of the Penal Code, was also alleged to have known that the land in question was owned by the state government.
Defence counsel Ansari Abdullah represented George and counsel Sugumar Balakrishnan defended How.
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