Court Sets July 2027 Trial Dates for Former Armed Forces Chief Facing Graft and CBT Charges

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 11 – The Sessions Court has fixed 15 days, beginning July 26, 2027, for the trial of former Armed Forces chief Tan Sri Mohd Nizam Jaffar, who faces four charges including abuse of position and criminal breach of trust (CBT) involving RM3 million.

Judge Rosli Ahmad set the hearing dates for July 26 to 29, August 9 to 12, September 13 to 15, and September 27 to 30, 2027, after the prosecution and defence reached an agreement during case mention on Thursday. Deputy Public Prosecutor Nidzuwan Abd Latip informed the court that relevant documents had been served to the defence, while defence counsel Abdul Aziz Hamzah stated that a representation would be submitted to the Attorney General’s Chambers within a week. Outlining the defence’s next procedural steps, Abdul Aziz submitted, “We will also file a defence statement under Section 51A of the Criminal Procedure Code. We request that the court set a date to hear the outcome of the representation,” prompting Judge Rosli to schedule October 28 for further mention to monitor the status of the representation.

Mohd Nizam, 59, is accused of leveraging his position as assistant chief of staff for Member Services of the Malaysian Armed Forces and chairman of the Armed Forces Welfare Fund (TKAT) Executive Committee to obtain a bribe of RM267,481.90. The gratification was allegedly obtained by appointing Sinar Bakti Global, Sinar Raudhah Global, and Zahra Jaya Global for the supply of sarong fabric, batik fabric, and multifunctional folding pliers for the 2025 Hari Raya Parcels, valued at RM468,000, RM52,000, and RM750,000 respectively. He also faces a second abuse of position charge involving a bribe of RM285,000 through the appointment of QMZ Resources and Helmee Resources for the supply of bath towels and backpacks worth RM600,000 and RM1,725,000 for TKAT. Both offences were allegedly committed at the Ministry of Defence in Kem Kementah on June 24, 2024, and carry charges under Section 23(1) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009.

Additionally, Mohd Nizam faces a third charge under Section 409 of the Penal Code for committing criminal breach of trust involving RM3 million belonging to TKAT by misusing the funds for unauthorized additional investments in Precious Amber International Berhad at Kem Kementah on October 4, 2024. The fourth charge, framed under Section 165 of the Penal Code, accuses him of accepting RM200,000 without consideration from a director of Aspen Red Sdn Bhd at Wisma Transit Kuala Lumpur in March 2025.

–NMT