Woman charged with cheating stopped from taking India flight

Kuala Lumpur: A Malaysian Indian woman executive charged with cheating was stopped from boarding a flight to India by officials who fear she could abscond.
Former Maju Institute of Educational Development (MIED) CEO P Chithirakala had been charged last week with three counts of cheating involving a total of RM 4million ($1.22 million) by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).
Chithirakala, 39, was about to board the 6.50 pm flight on Wednesday before she was told by an immigration official that she was not allowed to leave the country.
Upon questioning, she was told that an MACC officer had informed the department not to let her board the plane and that her passport had been withheld.
Relating her experience at KL International Airport to the media, Chithirakala claimed that she had informed the MACC about her plans to travel to India and details of her trip before she was charged last week in the Sessions Court.
She learnt that the MACC had filed an application at the Kuala Lumpur High Court to withhold her passport, "claiming that she had an intention to abscond", The Star quoted her as saying.
Chithirakala also claimed that MACC officer Fikri had told her that she could go overseas as long as she informed them a week before her departure.
20/05/10 Indo-Asian News Service/Hindustan Times

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Categories: Airports May 2010, Foreign May 2010