PUTRAJAYA: The Court of Appeal has allowed an application by Indonesian businessman Aldrin Pratama Widjaja for the return of RM1mil he had posted as bail.
A three-judge bench led by Justice Che Mohd Ruzima Ghazali also granted Aldrin's request for the return of his passport and the cancellation of the bail condition that required him to report monthly to the Cyberjaya police station.
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Aldrin's application was filed through his lawyer, Datuk Hisyam Teh Poh Teik.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Mohd Ashrof Adrin Kamarul, representing the prosecution, did not oppose the application.
Sitting alongside Justice Che Mohd Ruzima were Justices Mohamed Zaini Mazlan and Azmi Ariffin.
Aldrin was granted bail of RM1mil with two sureties by the Court of Appeal in 2022, which had allowed his application to stay a warrant of committal issued against him.
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On Feb 12, the Kuala Lumpur High Court ruled that Aldrin is not Datuk Paiman Shakimon, the individual who had been sentenced to 13 years in prison for cheating and falsifying documents.
The High Court conducted inquiry proceedings to determine Aldrin's identity.
Paiman, also a businessman, was sentenced to 13 years in prison by the Sessions Court after being found guilty of cheating and forging documents for a sum of RM12mil belonging to two Datuks in an investment fraud case between 2005 and 2006.
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He appealed against the conviction and prison sentence at the High Court but absconded after being released on bail of RM750,000, prompting the court to issue an arrest warrant and imprisonment order.
In 2021, police arrested Aldrin, claiming he was Paiman. A fingerprint check at the National Registration Department's biometric system indicated that he was indeed Paiman.
On Dec 2, 2021, the High Court ordered Aldrin to serve the sentence imposed by the Sessions Court, leading him to appeal to the Court of Appeal to challenge the committal order.
In 2022, the Court of Appeal allowed a stay of execution on the committal order and granted Aldrin bail of RM1mil.
In 2023, the Court of Appeal ordered the High Court to conduct an inquiry to determine Aldrin's identity.
On Feb 12, 2024, the High Court ruled that Aldrin was not Paiman.
Mohd Ashrof confirmed that the prosecution has filed an appeal against the High Court's ruling. He added that the notice of appeal was submitted on Feb 20. – Bernama
