A top official of Kuala Dimensi Sdn Bhd, the turnkey contractor for the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) project, has refused to testify in the Kuala Lumpur High Court without a fresh subpoena.

NONE KDSB chief executive officer Faisal Abdullah ( left ) was to have testified today in ex-transport minister Dr Ling Liong Sik's cheating trial.

However, lawyer K Kumaraendran informed the court that Faisal, his client and the sixth defence witness, would not come to court until a new subpoena is served.

Ling’s lawyer Wong Kian Kheong argued that Faisal had been interviewed four times and that he had been informed of the scheduled appearance date.

Wong also noted that Faisal had seemed to be cooperative about testifying. He explained that the subpoena issued last year had not been extended by the court.

azlan As such, he applied for a short adjournment so that the defence could call an accountant from Singapore, as well as apply for a fresh supboena as soon as possible.

"I hope this will not be repeated. It has wasted the court’s time and the time of everyone involved," said Justice Ahmadi Asnawi, in granting a postponement to tomorrow

Ling is charged with deceiving the cabinet into approving the purchase of 999.5 acres of land for the PKFZ project, which had allegedly resulted in losses for the government.

He was charged on July 29, 2010, under Section 418 of the Penal Code, which carries a penalty of up to seven years in prison, or a fine or both upon conviction. He faces two alternative charges.

The defence team has asked for the charges to be dropped in view of testimony to date.