SINGAPORE: The president of the Singapore Malay National Organisation (PKMS), Ali Asjadi, has been stripped of his party membership and duties.
The decision was made at an emergency meeting of the party's Supreme Executive Council on September 11 - a day after he was arrested for possessing a sizeable quantity of contraband cigarettes at the party headquarters.
He was charged in court on Monday.
In
a statement to the media on Tuesday, the organisation said Mr Ali had
misused his authority as President and misused the building facilities
by storing the contraband there.
The organisation said no other
PKMS members are involved or aware of his activities. The party said it
does not condone his behaviour.
Mr Abu Mohamed - who is Deputy President of PKMS will take over as Acting President with immediate effect.
-CNA/ac
Ex-PKMS chief faces charges involving contraband cigarettes
SINGAPORE : The former president of the Singapore Malay National Organisation (PKMS) now faces 12 charges involving contraband cigarettes worth more than S$255,000.
Ali Asjadi, 54, had been stripped of party membership and duties on Sunday, a day after he was arrested for allegedly dealing with about 600 kilogrammes of cigarettes.
It is believed some
240 kilogrammes were recovered from two Singapore-registered vehicles
found at the back lane of the PKMS headquarters at Changi Road.
The
rest of the cigarettes were later allegedly found at places including
Ali's former PKMS office and a staircase landing at the building.
The cigarettes have an unpaid duty totalling more than S$204,000.
The court also heard that the unpaid Goods and Services Tax (GST) for all the cigarettes came up to nearly S$18,000.
In two of the charges, it is believed Ali worked with Indonesian Atlis Suryanto, 40, who has already been charged.
The two men will be back in court next Friday.
If convicted of failing to pay the duty and the GST, Ali can face up to more than S$4 million in fines.
He can also be jailed up to three years for each charge.
This is not his first brush with the law.
About
a year ago, Ali was fined S$1,000 for fighting with several members of
the party's breakaway group near the PKMS building in 2009.
- CNA/ms
Ex-PKMS chief to plead guilty to charges involving contraband cigarettes
SINGAPORE : The former president of the Singapore Malay National Organisation (PKMS), Ali Asjadi, told a district court on Friday that he intends to plead guilty to six of the 12 charges he currently faces involving contraband cigarettes.
But the case has been adjourned to October 7 as court papers were not in order.
Ali, 54, was offered a bail of S$200,000 but he told District Judge May Mesenas that he is unable to raise this amount.
The cigarettes he allegedly dealt with are worth S$255,196.
They have an unpaid duty totalling S$204,082 and the unpaid Goods and Services Tax on them come up to S$17,863.
Ali
was stripped of party membership earlier this month after he was
arrested for allegedly dealing with the some 600 kilogrammes of
cigarettes.
Ali, who may face millions of dollars in fines if convicted, can also be jailed up to three years for each charge.
In
two of the charges, he allegedly worked with a 40-year-old Indonesian
man, Atlis Suryanto, who pleaded guilty on Friday to two of the four
charges against him.
Atlis pleaded for leniency and told Judge
Mesenas that he is the sole breadwinner in his family, with three young
children to support.
Atlis, who was here on a social visit pass, will be back in court next Friday.
He was offered a bail of S$100,000.
- CNA/ms
As president of a political party that has its share of in-fighting, he forgot the basic tenets of his office. "Watch your backside."
Party members snitched on him.