SHAH ALAM, May 31 — A senior Royal Malaysian Customs Department (Customs) officer was charged at the Sessions Court today for not handing over seized pangolin scales to the Department of Wildlife and National Parks Peninsular Malaysia (Perhilitan) in 2019.
Ahmad Hilmi Ghazali, 51, pleaded not guilty to the charges under Section 403 of the Penal Code, in front of Judge Awang Kerisnada Awang Mahmud.
He allegedly instructed a senior Customs assistant superintendent to dispose of the scales of a pangolin of the Genus Manis SPP species, which were seized items from the Enforcement Sore of the North Klang Port Marine Base between September and December 2019.
This is despite knowing that they had to be handed over to Perhilitan as the managing authorities appointed under Section 6(1) of the International Trade in Endangered Species Act 2008 .
Deputy public prosecutor Wan Azreen Wan Zaid suggested setting bail between RM30,000 and RM50,000, with the condition that the accused hand over his passport and report to the nearest Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) office for the duration of the case. The value of the case items could reach several million on the black market.
Hilmi’s counsel Nor Azri Mohd Arif requested that the court impose a non-punitive bail as the accused had high commitments and was supporting two wives and four young children.
The court subsequently set bail at RM20,000 with one surety and the condition that the accused must report at the Penang MACC office monthly and not contact or disturb any prosecution witness.
The case mention was set for July 12.
— Bernama
