KUALA LUMPUR – Former navy chief Tan Sri Ahmad Ramli Mohd Nor has applied for three criminal breach of trust (CBT) charges against him, relating to the contentious littoral combat ships (LCS) project, to be dropped.
According to court documents, he cited his poor health condition to justify his application, which seeks a court order compelling the prosecution to discharge and acquit him of the charges.
“It is unfair to try the applicant (Ramli) on the charges in his state of health. As such, a trial would amount to an abuse of process,” according to the application filed at the Kuala Lumpur High Court on April 23.
The application, filed by Messrs Wong Kian Kheong, also urged the court to suspend all proceedings in the sessions court here for Ramli’s case, pending a decision in the application.
The 80-year-old former managing director of Boustead Naval Shipyard Sdn Bhd (BNS), the company contracted to deliver the LCS to the government, is also seeking relief as deemed fair and just by the court.
Case management for the application has been set for May 14.
In August 2022, Ramli was accused of fraudulently approving payments amounting to a total of RM21.08 million to three different firms via banks in Singapore without the approval of BNS’ board while he helmed the company.
The charges, brought by deputy public prosecutor Datuk Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin, were framed under Section 409 of the Penal Code for CBT. The law provides an imprisonment term between two and 20 years with whipping as well as a fine.
After Ramli pleaded not guilty to all three charges, judge Suzana Hussain set bail at RM500,000 with a security of RM200,000 and one surety. Ramli’s passport is also being held by the court until the end of his case.
While the charge sheet against Ramli did not mention LCS, it was reportedly confirmed that the accusations levelled against him are related to the project.
Prior to Ramli’s charging, it was reported that Ramli had been implicated in the LCS controversy, with his name mentioned 14 times in Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) report on the project’s procurement.
Among the matters uncovered by the PAC report was how Ramli and former LCS programme director Anuar Murad had held private talks involving the LCS project.
The duo had also supposedly attempted to dodge queries from the LCS steering committee, which Ramli previously chaired, by reducing the number of committee meetings and often postponing them if Ramli was unable to attend.
The report also noted that Ramli had gone against the LCS Technical and Commercial Committee by issuing letters of award to certain companies without their approval while dismissing letters by whistleblowers regarding red flags in the LCS project. – May 12, 2024