Kuala Lumpur, Jan 23- The High Court today ordered recently appointed MIC treasurer-general R Ramanan to return RM5.5 million to renowned psychiatrist Dr M Mahadevan, ruling that it was fraudulently received.
Judicial commissioner Lee Heng Cheong said Ramanan had misrepresented himself to Dr Mahadevan, resulting in the latter transferring the money into his personal account on May 19, 2010.
Lee also ruled that Ramanan had failed to prove that the money was for a township development project in Sungai Petani on a piece of land belonging to Dr Mahadevan.
The judge ordered Ramanan to pay the money within 14 days from today. Counsel for the defendant sought a stay and Lee ordered them to file a formal application by Monday.
Dr Mahadevan, 85, is a former chief government psychiatrist and founder of the Malaysian Psychiatric Association. He was in court when the judgment was delivered.
According to court documents, the plaintiff had filed a claim of RM26.6 million to the Defence Ministry for its use of his land as a firing range between 1968 and 1988.
In May 2010, Ramanan told Dr Mahadevan that he could help him secure the claim if he paid a sum of RM6.5 million. They subsequently agreed on reducing the amount to RM5.5 million.
In his statement of claim, Dr Mahadevan included a letter dated April 2010, furnished by the defendant, who claimed that it was from the Defence Ministry. The letter purportedly showed that the ministry had approved payment of the claim.
The plaintiff called nine witnesses, including four officers of the ministry and a handwriting expert. The witnesses testified that such a letter did not exist.
There were six witnesses for Ramanan, including himself and his father.
Dr Mahadevan was represented by Lavinia Kumaraendran and Cassandra Lee, while the defendant was represented by Harjit Singh and Mahendra Maheson.
-FreeMalaysiaToday
