KL court official called back to court to enter defence
KUALA LUMPUR: A KL Court Complex clerk who was freed without entering his defence for a charge of duping a woman of RM4,000 was called back to court for trial.
High Court judge Datuk Azman Abdullah today ordered Shahnaz Khan Kamarzaman, 36, to enter his defence after allowing the prosecution’s appeal against a magistrate’s court decision of acquitting him on June 3, last year.
In his judgement, Azman said after going through the appeal record and submissions by both parties, the court found that the prosecution had succeeded in establishing a prima facie case against the accused.
However, Azman dismissed the prosecution’s appeal against the acquittal of another accused, suspended KL Court cashier Ahmad Mustakim Abdul Halim, 28, after ruling that the prosecution had failed to prove a prima facie case against him.
Earlier, the court ruled that it was clear that Shahnaz had deceived the victim to hand over the money by giving her a fake receipt and making the victim believe that the amount was made for the payment of a fine.
“The magistrate’s court had erred in its decision when it ruled that there were no losses incurred or impact to the victim as a result of the first accused’s (Shahnaz) action when the victim’s son was release from custody after paying the RM4,000,” he said.
Shahnaz and Mustakim were charged with inducing Che Su Abdullah, 57, to pay the money to the duo on their purported promise to help her pay the RM4,000 fine for her son-in-law over a drug offence.
They were accused of committing the offence at the Finance Department at the first floor of the left wing of the complex at Jalan Duta here between 9am and 12.30pm on July 13, 2015.
Deputy public prosecutor Aznika Mohd Anas prosecuted while Shahnaz was represented by counsel PG Cyril and Farhan Read, and Mustakim by Vijey Esvaren.
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