KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court here on Wednesday (Feb 12) ruled that a man alleged to be Datuk Paiman Shakimon, who was sentenced to 13 years in prison for cheating and falsifying documents, is not the businessman but an Indonesian national.
Judge Muhammad Jamil Hussin said the prosecution, as the applicant, failed to establish beyond reasonable doubt that Aldrin Pratama Widjaja, 65, who is also a businessman and the respondent, is Paiman, in the inquiry proceedings to determine Paiman’s identity.
In his brief judgment, Judge Muhammad Jamil said that based on the authenticity of the passport, the Indonesian Embassy had confirmed that the man is indeed Aldrin Pratama.
"Personal documents such as the Indonesian identity card, driving licence, and firearm permit are all registered under the name Aldrin Pratama," said the judge.
He added that the thumbprint specimen provided by the National Registration Department (NRD) indicated a close match to the name Paiman Shakimon.
"In my view, the results of the search process should be stated as either a match or not a match. ‘Close match’ indicates that the search process is inconclusive, raising doubts as to whether the thumbprint belongs to Paiman Shakimon," he said.
Additionally, Muhammad Jamil said a verification report from the NRD on the identity card number found discrepancies in the details.
The identity card for Aldrin Pratama lists his birth date as June 1, 1960, while Paiman’s is recorded as March 23, 1959.
"Why has the prosecution never explained this discrepancy? If the prosecution claims that Aldrin Pratama and Paiman refer to the same person, namely Paiman, why does he have different birth dates?" he questioned.
The inquiry proceedings lasted six days, beginning on Sept 18 last year, with the prosecution calling 13 witnesses.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Mohd Ashrof Adrin Kamarul appeared for the prosecution, while lawyers Datuk Mohamad Hanafiah Zakaria and Datuk Hisyam Teh Poh Teik represented Aldrin Pratama.
On April 19, 2011, Paiman was sentenced to 26 years in prison by the Sessions Court after finding him guilty of cheating and forging documents for a sum of RM12mil belonging to two Datuks in an investment fraud case between 2005 and 2006.
Paiman needed to serve only 13 years in prison as Judge Jagjit Singh Bant Singh ordered the sentences to run concurrently.
He then filed for leave to appeal against the Sessions Court conviction and a 13-year prison sentence.
However, on July 20, 2012, when his leave for appeal came up for hearing at the High Court, the man absconded, resulting in the court issuing an arrest warrant and a warrant of imprisonment against him the same year.
In 2021, Paiman was apprehended by the police when it was discovered he had entered Malaysia using an Indonesian passport under the name of Aldrin Pratama Widjaja.
A check of his fingerprint under the biometric system at the National Registration Department also indicated that he was indeed Paiman Shakimon.
On Dec 2, 2021, the High Court ordered Paiman to serve a 13-year prison sentence for cheating and falsifying documents after upholding the Sessions Court's verdict.
In 2023, the man filed an appeal at the Court of Appeal against the arrest warrant and imprisonment warrant issued to him.
The Court of Appeal then ordered the High Court to conduct an inquiry to establish the identity of the man in question. - Bernama
