KUALA LUMPUR: The former manager of a travel company told the Sessions Court here it was improper that a refund of RM430,279.95 for the cancellation of Datuk Seri Azlan Man's family vacation was made directly to the former Perlis mentri besar.
Mohammad Azri Ahmad, the seventh prosecution witness, acknowledged that it was odd for the refund to go to Azlan because the Perlis state government paid for the vacation packages to London in 2016 and 2017.
"On behalf of the company (Aidil Travel & Tours Sdn Bhd), I aim to provide proper service, but it was unusual and wrong in my view to return money from the state government to an individual," he said during re-examination by deputy public prosecutor Noralis Mat on Friday (Aug 23).
Earlier, while reading his witness statement, Azri explained that Azlan had cancelled his vacation bookings to London in 2016 and 2017, amounting to RM253,195.40 and RM244,079.28 respectively, both of which had been paid for by the state government.
However, Azri noted that a refund cheque for RM222,811.95 for the 2016 cancellation was deposited into Azlan's bank account.
"As for the 2017 cancellation, Abdul Rahim Halim (the former sales manager of Aidil Travel & Tours) and I personally handed the refund of RM207,468 to Azlan at (a hotel) in Kuala Lumpur," he said.
Friday marked the seventh day of the trial of Azlan Man, the former Bintong state assemblyman, who faces 10 charges of submitting false claims and receiving proceeds from unlawful activities.
When Noralis inquired about the reason for Azlan’s cancellations, he explained that Abdul Rahim informed him Azlan faced time constraints and had requested a refund of the vacation deposits.
Noralis: Why was the vacation refund returned to Azlan's personal account?
Mohamad Azri: Because no bookings, such as tickets, were made, we returned the money through Herwady Hashim (the then senior private secretary to the Perlis mentri besar) to Datuk Seri Azlan.
Asked how he could recall the refund of the cancelled vacation booking, Azri replied: "I certainly remember because the company had never handled such a large amount before."
Azlan, 65, faces five counts of making false claims for overseas vacation allowances amounting to over RM1.18mil, allegedly committed at the Perlis State Secretary's Office, Kompleks Dewan Undangan Negeri, Persiaran Wawasan, Kangar between December 2013 and December 2017.
The charges involve quotations for flight tickets to London and invoices from Sri Kedawang Travel & Tours (W) Sdn Bhd and Aidil Travel & Tours.
He is charged under Section 18 of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2009, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a fine of five times the value of the bribe or RM10,000, whichever is higher, upon conviction.
The trial before Sessions judge Azura Alwi will resume on Nov 11. – Bernama
