Ex-AIAC head faces CBT trial over abuse of RM1m

Former Asian International Arbitration Centre (AIAC) director N Sundra Rajoo has claimed trial at the Sessions Court in Kuala Lumpur today to three charges of criminal breach of trust involving RM1,011,367.50.

Judge Azura Alwi set bail at RM100,000. Case management has been set for May 3.

If found guilty, Sundra can be jailed up to 20 years, whipped and fined.

Sundra, 63, had led the AIAC and its predecessor, the Kuala Lumpur Regional Centre for Arbitration, for nine years.

The AIAC is a non-profit international arbitral institution supported by the federal government.

The MACC had arrested Sundra last year. He resigned from his position, purportedly to protect the organisation's reputation.

Following this, there has been a legal battle over his entitlement to immunity for matters concerning his time in office, as he argues that he was then considered a diplomat. 

'AG can charge anyone'

During the proceedings today, Sundra Rajoo's lawyer Baljit Singh Sidhu told the court that the defence has received notice that the federal government's request to the Asian-African Legal Consultative Organisation to waive their client's legal immunity had been rejected.

However, earlier today the High Court for special appeals had rejected Sundra Rajoo's application for a judicial review to claim legal immunity.

Judge Nordin Hassan had ruled that the court does not have the power to prevent the attorney-general from pressing charges against anyone.

Sundra Rajoo will surrender is passport on April 2 as he will be abroad from March 29 until April 1.

Although the AIAC is relatively unknown to the wider public, it came under scrutiny after Court of Appeal judge Hamid Sultan Abu Backer made public claims of judicial interference.

The judge had accused the Federal Court of expunging parts of his ruling which criticised the AIAC, which included a call for the institution to be probed by the MACC and the police. 

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