An outspoken critic of the Turkish government, Enes Kanter says his father has been accused of ‘being a criminal just because he is my dad’

PUTRAJAYA (June 10): Former Silver Bird Group Bhd managing director Datuk Jackson Tan Han Kook and its former chief executive officer Derec Ching Siew Cheong were today acquitted of all 134 charges of cheating and purportedly using forged documents to cheat Malayan Banking Bhd (Maybank) of close to RM67.4 million.

A three-member Court of Appeal bench led by Justice Datuk Kamardin Hashim today dismissed the prosecution’s appeal and upheld the decision by the Sessions Court and High Court to acquit them.

“After observing the appeal record, both oral and written, we find no merit in [the prosecution’s] appeal.

“There is no appealable error. The appeal is dismissed. The decision of the lower courts are upheld and both accused remain acquitted,” the judge said.

This is the final appeal by the prosecution as the case originated from the Sessions Court and parties are only allowed a two-tier appeal process.

Sitting with Justice Kamardin were Justice Datuk Zabidin Md Diah and Justice Datuk Vazeer Alam Mydin Meera.

When met, Tan, 66, said the charges had caused him and his family a lot of stress, but he is thankful for the support he had received from his family and friends.

“The truth has set me free,” he added.

He was represented by counsel Datuk K Kumaraendran and Teh See Khoon.

Counsels Datuk N Sivananthan and Jasmine Cheong appeared for Ching while deputy public prosecutors Faiza Mohd Salleh and Tetralina Ahmad Fauzi appeared for the prosecution.

Tan and Ching were jointly charged in 2012 and claimed trial to charges of cheating Maybank by using false documents in applying for banker’s acceptance facilities for three companies — Asian Food Link Sdn Bhd, Violet Bonanza Sdn Bhd and Stanson Marketing Sdn Bhd.

They were charged under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating and alternatively under Section 471 of the same Code for purportedly using forged documents.

The documents referred to in the charges were invoices totalling RM67.44 million that were purportedly delivery orders made out to Stanson Marketing and Koperasi Permodalan Felda Quality.

They stood trial before Sessions Court Judge Mohd Nasir Nordin, during which the defence were called, but they were later acquitted as the defence had raised reasonable doubt in 2016.

The High Court dismissed the prosecution’s appeal and the decision was upheld today.

Silver Bird was established as a key player in the bakery and confectionery business in the country, via its products under the “High 5” and “Silverbird” brands.

It had also acquired Pastryville, a retail chain of premium pastry selections, with presence in various locations in the Klang Valley.

The group’s substantial shareholders included Berjaya Corp Bhd (16.7%), Lembaga Tabung Haji (5.84%) and Koperasi Permodalan Felda Malaysia Bhd (12.7%).

In 2012, Silver Bird — whose name had then been changed to High-5 Consolidated Bhd — announced that it had a RM112 million hole in its finances, which later turned out to be RM297 million.

The firm fell into Practice Note 17 status, and its securities were eventually delisted from Bursa Malaysia in 2014 after failing to regularise its finances.

Two former University of Ottawa hockey players have been acquitted of sexual assault charges after an incident that occurred in 2014 in Thunder Bay.

The two defendants in the case, Guillaume Donovan and David Foucher, had each been charged by Thunder Bay police with one count of sexual assault after a woman accused them of forcing themselves upon her at a party following an away game the Gee-Gees played against Lakehead University in 2014.

READ MORE:
Fifteen patients treated mainly for overdoses at Escapade, nine taken to hospital: Paramedics

The judge in the case, Chantal Brochu, delivered her decision Monday afternoon in Thunder Bay Court of Justice after a 10-day trial in February of this year.

After the incident came to light, the University of Ottawa elected to cancel the 2015 – 16 season and fired the head coach of the team at the time. The team returned to active play in 2017 with one returning player. Several previous players have launched a class-action lawsuit against the university.

That lawsuit is ongoing.

March 28, 2018

Ireland and Ulster rugby players Paddy Jackson, 25, and Stuart Olding, 25, were today acquitted of rape charges in Belfast Crown Court

Both had denied raping the same woman in Jackson’s house in the early hours of 28 June 2016.

Paddy Jackson, 25, was found not guilty of rape and penetrative sexual assault. Stuart Olding, 25, was found not guilty of rape.
Rory Harrison, 25, was found not guilty of charges of perverting the curse of justice and withholding information. Blane McIlroy, 26, was found not guilty of exposing his genitals.

The four had been charged that they had committed various offences between 27 June and 1 July in 2016.

The eleven-person jury, eight men and four women, was sent out by Judge Patricia Smyth at 10.30am on Tuesday and returned today (Wednesday morning) after a nine-week trial. When the trial opened on 30 January 12 jurors were originally sworn in – nine men and three women but this was reduced to 11 jurors after one juror was discharged due to illness.

They had deliberated for three hours and forty-five minutes before returning their verdict.

The jury heard from the 21-year-old complainant who spent over eight days in the witness box and heard how police interviewed the four rugby players at Musgrave Street PSNI station in Belfast on 25 separate occasions between June and October 2016, a total of 17 hours and 34 minutes.

A total of 31 witnesses gave evidence including medical experts, character witnesses and leading barristers.

The witnesses also included 10 police officers, two doctors, a forensic scientist and a taxi driver who had driven the woman home on the night of the alleged rape.

---

The long road to Belfast Agreement