Former Mied CEO Barred From Leaving Country

SEPANG, May 19 (Bernama) -- Former Maju Institute of Educational Development (MIED) Chief Executive Officer P. Chitirakala's planned holiday trip to India failed to take off after being barred from leaving the country by the Immigration Department.

Chitirakala, charged in the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court on May 11, with three counts of cheating, involving RM4 million was supposed to have boarded a Malaysia Airlines flight to India at 6.50pm Wednesday.

Chitirakala, 39, told reporters at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) here that she had checked in at 4pm and was waiting at the departure hall when an Immigration Department officer approached her and later took her to the Immigration office.

After waiting for about two hours at the office, the Immigration officer informed her that a Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) officer named Fikri had refused to allow her to leave the country without given reasons.

"I had contacted Fikri (MACC officer) to seek advise of my intended trip and he had asked me to contact him a week before leaving," said Chitirakala who claimed that she had already obtained approval from MACC to leave the country.

"Sessions Court judge Azizah Mahamud had allowed me to travel locally or abroad and even the deputy public prosecutor Kevin Morais also had no objection but why was I being refused now," she asked.

Chitirakala, who pleaded not guilty and released on RM30,000 bail with one surety for all three charges, alleged that a politician was the reason for preventing her from leaving the country.

Morais had asked the court for a month to prepare legal documents before the hearing and Azizah fixed June 14 for the case to be re-mentioned.

Meanwhile, attempts to contact the MACC or Immigration Department for comments, were futile.

MIED is the educational arm of the MIC and was incorporated in 1984