Chitrakala: MACC Followed SOP To Prevent Chithirakala From Leaving Country

KUALA LUMPUR, May 20 (Bernama) -- The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) followed standard operating procedure (SOP) in accordance with the law when stopping former Maju Institute of Educational Development (MIED) chief executive officer P. Chithirakala from leaving the country.

Chithirakala, 39, who was charged in the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court on May 11, with three counts of cheating involving RM4 million, was stopped from boarding a flight to India Wednesday.

In a statement Thursday MACC said on May 13, the MACC had received information that Chithirakala was planning to escape to India to avoid charges brought against her.

"Acting on information received on May 18, MACC filed an affidavit to the court, requesting Chithirakala to surrender her passport or travel documents and Chithirakala had also filed an affidavit in reply," said MACC in the statement.

MACC added that though Chithirakala was aware that the case was coming up for hearing on May 25, she had decided to leave the country.

The MACC felt Chithirakala should have waited for the court to decide whether she could leave the country or not.

On Wednesday, (May 19), Chithirakala who was ready to board a Malaysian Airlines flight to India at 6.50pm, was stopped by the immigration Department.

Chithirakala, who was released on RM30,000 bail when she was earlier charged in court, had claimed that a politician was behind the predicament she was facing.

--BERNAMA
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themalaysianinsider.com

MACC says Chithirakala needs court nod to leave country

By Clara Chooi

May 20, 2010

KUALA LUMPUR, May 20 — The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) said today that former Maju Institute of Educational Development (MIED) chief executive officer P. Chithirakala must wait for the High Court to decide whether to withhold her passport before attempting to leave the country.
In a statement to explain its act of stopping Chithirakala from flying to India yesterday, the agency said the Kuala Lumpur High Court would only decide next Tuesday whether to allow its application to impound her passport pending the re-mention of her cheating case on June 14.
“The MACC is of the opinion that Chithirakala (picture) needs to wait for the court’s decision on whether she can leave the country or not.
“This is just a common procedure of investigation and accepted laws,” it said in the statement from its corporate communication division.
The agency explained that it had filed an affidavit with the court on May 18 to compel Chithirakala to surrender her passport and her travel documents.
“We received information from the public on May 13 informing us that she would abscond to India to avoid her case,” the agency said.
It added that Chithirakala subsequently filed an affidavit in response and the court had fixed next Tuesday to hear the application.
“Although she was aware of the hearing date, she still insisted on leaving for India,” said the agency.
Chithirakala was charged on May 11 with three counts of cheating under section 420 of the Penal Code involving a total of RM4 million.
She was accused of cheating former MIC treasurer-general Tan Sri M. Mahalingam by deceiving him into signing a cheque for RM1 million on the pretext that it was for a loan payment to one Tan Sri Abdul Rashid Manaf on Jan 9. She was subsequently charged with a similar offence allegedly committed on Jan 30.
On the third charge, Chithirakala was accused of deceiving Mahalingam again, this time for a RM2 million cheque, allegedly for a company called Wira Jernih Sdn Bhd.
On the day she was charged, Chithirakala’s lawyer Saseedharan Menon had informed the court of her plans to travel to India and the judge had purportedly asked the deputy public prosecutor if MACC had any intention to withhold her passport.
The MACC had then said it did not plan to do so but went ahead to file its affidavit two days ago.
At the Kuala Lumpur International Airport yesterday, Chithirakala was reportedly stopped from boarding her 6.50pm flight to India by an immigration deputy assistant director who told her she was not allowed to leave the country.
She told reporters later that she had planned to return to Malaysia before her hearing date next Tuesday.