Jet engine theft case: Mention on March 29

The fighter jet engine theft case involving airman N Tharmendran and company director K Rajandran Prasad will be mentioned on March 29.

Petaling Jaya Sessions Court judge Aslam Zainuddin fixed the date after Rajandran Prasad's counsel, Gobind Singh Deo said he had yet to receive other documents.

Deputy public prosecutor Hamidi Mohd Nor, who appeared for the prosecution, did not object to the application and will furnish the material.

The date was also fixed to enable Tharmendran's counsel, V Ravichandran ( left ) to submit an affidavit to support an application to reduce his (Tharmendran's) bail.

Earlier, Ravichandran asked the court to reduce the bail from RM150,000 to RM80,000, inferring that the defence minister had pointed out that the jet engines fetched merely hundreds of thousands of ringgit and not millions of ringgit as reported.

Ravichandran said his client could not afford the bail.

Hamidi objected to the application, arguing that it must be supported by an affidavit.

On Jan 6, Tharmendran, 42, a Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) sergeant and Rajandran Prasad claimed trial at the Sessions Court in connection with the two missing F5E jet engines.

Tharmendran allegedly conspired with senior airman Mohamad Shukri Mohamad Yusop at the Subang RMAF Air Movement Section to steal the two J8521-type engines from the Kuala Lumpur RMAF Material Processing Shed, MATRA 1 in Sungai Besi, Kuala Lumpur.

Tharmendran allegedly committed the offence in December 2007 and was charged under Section 380 of the Penal Code, which is to be read with Section 109 of the Penal Code.

Rajandran Prasad, 38, however was charged under Section 414 of the Penal Code for intentionally disposing of the two F-5 jet engines at 49 Jalan TS 6/6 Taman Industri Subang on April 30, 2008.

- Bernama