This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily on January 21, 2020

KUALA LUMPUR: Former federal territories minister Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor’s nasty fall last Friday has caused his corruption trial, scheduled to resume yesterday, to be postponed to Feb 18.

Counsel Datuk Tan Hock Chuan told reporters at the High Court here his client sustained a tissue injury in his right knee and was given six days of medical leave to recover from the mishap.

“His medical leave is from Jan 17 (last Friday) and lasts for six days due to damage to his right knee. A computerised tomography scan was conducted indicating the damage,” the lawyer added.

As such, Tan requested that the trial dates, yesterday and today, be vacated. Tengku Adnan, or Ku Nan as he is usually referred to, was not present in yesterday’s proceedings due to the injury.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Julia Ibrahim did not object to the postponement. Last Friday, the former minister and Umno treasurer was testifying at his trial, and missed two steps just as he was leaving the witness stand, falling face first onto the court floor.

Just before the accident, he was telling the court he did not need the RM2 million he was allegedly bribed with, as he was already a successful businessman and his company Tadmansori Holdings Sdn Bhd had a paid-up capital of RM100 million.

The RM2 million he received was to cover the same amount he had advanced to Umno on behalf of businessman Tan Sri Chai Kin Kong, managing director of property developer Aset Kayamas Sdn Bhd, for the two by-elections in Kuala Kangsar and Sungai Besar.

He was charged on Jan 23 last year, under Section 165 of the Penal Code for accepting the RM2 million from Chai via a Hong Leong Islamic Bank Bhd cheque belonging to his company, which was deposited into the CIMB Bank Bhd account of Tadmansori Holdings on June 14, 2016, when it was known that Aset Kayamas had links to his official duties as the then federal territories minister.

If found guilty, Tengku Adnan faces up to two years in jail or a fine, or both.

Following yesterday’s postponement, Justice Mohamed Zaini Mazlan fixed Feb 18 to 20 and March 4 to March 5 as trial dates.

He also retained the trial dates of March 25 to March 27, which had been set earlier.