The Sessions Court in Kuala Lumpur today postponed the trial of two Lembaga Tabung Haji staff for allegedly altering its database and receiving a bribe to speed up the annual haj pilgrimage for a group of applicants.

Sessions Court judge Rozana Ali Yusof fixed Aug 7 to 10 and Aug 27 to 30 for the ‘express haj’ trial of Information Technology Department systems analyst Afizul Md Yasin, 34, and Research and Development Department clerk Roslan Mohamed Som, 47.

Afizul was charged with three counts of tampering with the contents of the pilgrims’ database while Roslan was charged with receiving RM6,750 cash in return for organising the pilgrimage of 27 ineligible individuals in 2010.

Both pleaded not guilty on Feb 9.

Prosecuting officer from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Mohd Nur Lokman Samingan asked the court to postpone the trial as deputy public prosecutors Mohd Sophian Zakaria and Wong Poi Yoke, who were handling the case, were attending a conference at the Attorney-General’s Chambers.

Afizul allegedly accessed the database without authorisation and entered 27 applicants’ names on the 13th Floor of the Tabung Haji Head Office in Kuala Lumpur, between 10.55am and 11.10pm in June and July 2010.

Roslan allegedly received the money from a go-between, Samsudin Ibrahim, at Jalan Raja Muda Musa, Kampung Baru here on July 15, 2010.

Afizul was represented by lawyer Imam Abu Sa’id Nahrawi while Roslan by lawyer Rusli Zain.

- Bernama