Cop’s accounts could be used by someone else, remisier agrees
(Bernama) – Someone might have used the trading and central depository system (CDS) accounts opened by former commercial crime investigation department director Datuk Ramli Yusuff, the Sessions Court was told today.
Tan Jo Wei, a former remisier of KL Securities Sdn Bhd, did not rule out this possiblity when questioned by defence counsel Datuk Muhammad Shafee Abdullah.
He also agreed with counsel that he might have taken instructions from a person who had impersonated Ramli in the sales and purchase of Permaju Industries Berhad shares which was allegedly owned by the former senior police officer.
“There was such a possiblity since most of the time, I received instructions from Ramli over the phone,” he added. However, Tan, 39, currently attached with AM Investment Bank Berhad, disagreed with Shafee’s contention that he (Tan) had never met Ramli over the opening of the trading and the CDS account.
He told the court that he was introduced to Ramli by his client, one “Datuk Yakub”, and he met the police officer at the Renaissance Hotel, Kuala Lumpur on Sept 8, 1999.
Tan said that during the meeting, he had brought along all documents to facilitate opening both accounts and he signed on the forms as a witness.
Asked to explain why forms signed by Ramli had indicated the signing date as Sept 8, 1999, whereas he signed it on Nov 17, 2007, Tan admitted he did not sign it on the same day, although it was a legal requirement to do so.
Tan was testifying at the trial of Ramli who is charged with failing to declare ownership of 20,000 Telekom Malaysia Berhad shares, 154,000 Permaju Industries Berhad shares and interests in two office properties worth RM1,032,840.
Ramli, 58, is alleged to have committed the offences at the office of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (then ACA) deputy public prosecutor in Putrajaya on Sept 17, 2007.
Questioned further by Shafee that technically, Tan had falsified the forms since he himself admitted that he made Ramli sign on a “blank form”, Tan disagreed.
To another question, Tan told the court that he recommended to his management that Ramli should be given trading limit of RM350,000 when he opened the trading account, but the police officer was only given RM150,000 limit in the final approval.
Questioned further by Shafee, Tan said he was aware that three cheques issued over the sales and purcase of Permaju shares were not issued by Ramli.
“Probably, the cheques were mine, since usually if the client is overseas, I will issue the cheque first and get back the money in cash later,” he added.
On the issue that Ramli was only aware that his CDS account was active in 2005 and had been used in trading of Permaju shares after being alerted by another remisier, Tan said he was not aware of it.
However, he agreed with Shafee’s suggestion that Ramli might have assumed that his CDS account was inactive since he used to receive annual statements of RM5.57 since 2002.
The hearing before judge M. Gunalan continues tomorrow.
