A former Sabah army commander, Brig-Gen (Rtd) Mohamad Yasin Yahya, was today acquitted by the Kota Kinabalu Sessions Court of a charge of perjury involving the trial of former Commercial Crimes Investigation Department head Ramli Yusof.

Sessions judge Caroline Matjenil said the prosecution in the case had failed to prove a prima facie case against Yasin, and acquitted him of the charge of having given false evidence without having his defence called.

ramli yusuff asset declare case 120310 05 Yasin was alleged to have accompanied Ramli ( centre in pic ) - who was charged with abusing his powers as Sabah police chief for a pecuniary gain on June 15, 2007 - when they used a Royal Malaysian Police Cessna Caravan aircraft to take them on an aerial surveillance of two lots in Ulu Tungku, Lahad Datu.

Rounds of acquittal

Yasin, with a civilian, was alleged to have accompanied Ramli for an aerial surveillance of two lots in Ulu Tungku, Lahad Datu, in which a company jointly owned by Ramli and Yasin, Kinsajaya Sdn Bhd had an interest.  But later it was discovered that Kinsajaya is a dormant company.

The pilots had testified during Ramli's trial that they never flew to the land area concerned.

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, which had been prosecuting Ramli in Sabah, had  amended the charge several times and eventually removed any mention of the civilian and merely stated that the “aircraft flew in the vicinity of the land”.

Ramli was acquitted by the Kota Kinabalu Sessions Court, whose decision was subsequently upheld by the Sabah High Court.

Besides Ramli's acquittal in Sabah, the former senior police officer was also acquitted twice in Kuala Lumpur.

He was acquitted of three charges of failure to declare his assets when the prosecution had failed to prove a prima facie case against him.

Earlier this month, Ramli was cleared of a charge of breaching laws preventing civil servants from being involved in private business.