FREEDOM OF SPEECH / FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION


FREEDOM OF SPEECH / FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION

Freedom of speech is the freedom to speak without censorship and/or limitation. The synonymous term freedom of expression is sometimes used to indicate not only freedom of verbal speech but any act of seeking, receiving and imparting information or ideas, regardless of the medium used [United Nations, 1966, 1976]. The right to freedom of speech is recognized as a human right under Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and recognized in international human rights law in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). The ICCPR recognizes the right to freedom of speech as "the right to hold opinions without interference. Everyone shall have the right to freedom of expression". Furthermore freedom of speech is recognized in European, inter-American and African regional human rights law [United Nations, 1966, 1967]. Freedom of speech, or the freedom of expression, is recognized in international and regional human rights law. The right is enshrined in Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights, Article 13 of the American Convention on Human Rights and Article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights [Andrew Puddephatt & Hodder Arnold, 2005; Kumar, Ambika, 2006].

In Islamic ethics freedom of speech was first declared in the Rashidun period by the caliph Umar in the 7th century. In the Abbasid Caliphate period, freedom of speech was also declared by al-Hashimi (a cousin of Caliph al-Ma'mun) in a letter to one of the religious opponents he was attempting to convert through reason.

According to George Makdisi and Hugh Goddard, "the idea of academic freedom" in universities was "modelled on Islamic custom" as practiced in the medieval Madrasah system from the 9th century. Islamic influence was "certainly discernible in the foundation of the first deliberately-planned university" in Europe [Boisard, Marcel A., 1980].

* Selected REFERENCES / Sources:


Amnesty International: Annual Reports: URLhttp://www.amnesty.org/ailib/aireport/index.html Andrew Puddephatt & Hodder Arnold. (2005). Freedom of Expression: The Essentials of Human Rights. United Publishers. Boisard, Marcel A. (July 1980), "On the Probable Influence of Islam on Western Public and International Law", International Journal of Middle East Studies 11 (4): 429–50. Goddard, Hugh. (2000). A History of Christian-Muslim Relations. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. Kumar, Ambika. (2006). ‘Using Courts to Enforce the Free Speech Provisions of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.’ Published by Chicago Journal of International Law. Summer 2006. URLhttp://www.allbusiness.com/corporate-governance/4082846-1.html United Nations: ‘International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.’ Adopted and opened for signature, ratification and accession by General Assembly resolution 2200A (XXI) of 16th December 1966: Entry into force 23 March 1976, in accordance with Article 49. URLhttp://www2.ohchr.org/english/law/ccpr.htm (United Nations) Wikipedia. (2010). ‘Freedom of Speech.’ Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. URLhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_of_expression

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24 January 2011

Datuk Wira Termuda ?!


http://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/info.asp?y=2011&dt=0124&pub=Utusan_Malaysia&sec=Dalam_Negeri&pg=dn_14.htm
(24th January 2011)

SM Faisal penerima termuda darjah Datuk Wira


Mohd. Khalil Yaakob menganugerahkan darjah DCSM kepada SM Faisal SM Nasimuddin di Dewan Seri Negeri, Melaka semalam.

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MELAKA 23 Jan. – Pengerusi Eksekutif Bersama Kumpulan Naza, Datuk SM Faisal SM Nasimuddin hari ini menerima Darjah Cemerlang Seri Melaka (DCSM) yang membawa gelaran Datuk Wira daripada Yang Dipertua negeri, Tun Mohd. Khalil Yaakob. Penganugerahan darjah kebesaran itu adalah sempena sambutan hari jadi ke-72 Mohd. Khalil yang berlangsung di Dewan Seri Negeri, Ayer Keroh di sini.

SM Faisal yang berusia 31 tahun merupakan penerima termuda bagi darjah kebesaran DCSM. Hadir sama, isteri Yang Dipertua negeri, Toh Puan Zurina Kassim; Ketua Menteri, Datuk Seri Mohd. Ali Rustam dan isteri, Datin Seri Asmah Abdul Rahman; Setiausaha Kerajaan Negeri, Datuk Omar Kaseh dan Speaker Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN), Datuk Othman Mohamad.

Turut menerima darjah kebesaran hari ini ialah Ketua Hakim Negara, Tun Zaki Azmi yang menerima Darjah Gemilang Seri Melaka (DGSM) membawa gelaran Datuk Seri. Setiausaha Akhbar Perdana Menteri, Akmar Hisham Mohd. Yusof @ Mokhles pula menerima anugerah baru yang diperkenalkan tahun ini iaitu Darjah Pangkuan Seri Melaka (DPSM) yang membawa gelaran Datuk.

SM Faisal ketika ditemui selepas majlis itu mengucapkan syukur di atas pengurniaan darjah kebesaran itu. “Alhamdulillah, saya rasa terharu dan ingin mengucapkan terima kasih kepada Yang Dipertua negeri dan Ketua Menteri serta kerajaan negeri kerana menganugerahkan saya DCSM. “Saya agak terperanjat mendapat anugerah ini dan lebih mengejutkan apabila saya dimaklumkan sebagai penerima termuda,” katanya.

Dalam pada itu menurutnya, Kumpulan Naza merancang terlibat dalam banyak bidang perniagaan terutama automotif dan hartanah di negeri ini. “Kita sudah menjalin hubungan kerjasama yang agak lama dengan kerajaan negeri khususnya dalam bidang perhotelan. Kumpulan Naza kini turut merancang menempatkan kilang pemasangan kereta di negeri ini. Perkara ini masih dalam perbincangan. “Bukan sahaja Melaka tetapi banyak negeri lain turut menawarkan tempat untuk Kumpulan Naza beroperasi,” ujarnya.

Sehubungan itu katanya, pihaknya sedang mempertimbangkan kesemua tawaran itu dalam usaha mengembangkan perniagaan. Beliau melihat Melaka adalah lokasi terbaik kerana kestabilan politik dan kemajuan yang dicapai dan ia cukup sempurna untuk Kumpulan Naza mengembangkan sayap di negeri ini.



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21 January 2011

Dr Kermit Gosnell: Made in the USA !


Comment:

And they said that everthing in the USA is the best, the so-called doctor is a devil in human skin. Its crime on woman, on the new born, its medical malpractises at the lowest level, its 'dirty' money, how worst can all that be... and its made in the USA!!

Do the authorities ever do spotchecks on these private clinics and hospitals?! Where are the so-called 'standard operating procedures', or 'quality assurance practises', or 'medical professional practises' ??? More questions need to be answer by the authority ! The door is NOT close yet!




http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/newshome/8690583/doctors-arrest-leads-cops-to-abortion-house-of-horrors (21st January 2011)

Doctor's arrest leads cops to abortion 'house of horrors'
Yahoo!7 January 21, 2011, 1:09 pm

A man has been arrested and charged with the murder of a 41-year-old pregnant woman and seven newborn babies in an abortion clinic deemed a 'house of horrors' by prosecutors. A judge has withheld bail for Dr Kermit Gosnell, 69, who has allegedly made millions of dollars over thirty years performing illegal abortions at a Philadelphia clinic that served mostly low-income minority women.

According to a grand jury report, the Women's Medical Society was the "go-to" place for women wanting illegal abortions or for people seeking "no-questions-asked" prescription drugs.

In early 2010 authorities investigating drug-related complaints at the clinic say they uncovered a squalid, barbaric "house of horrors" where "botched", "illegal" abortions were conducted. An attorney alleges seven babies born alive in the sixth, seventh and eighth months of their mothers' pregnancies were killed when scissors were used to cut their spinal cords.

Gosnell is also accused of routinely inducing labor in patients in their second and third trimesters rather than perform risky late-term abortions, sometimes resulting in live births. In these cases, Gosnell and his staffers allegedly killed the babies by stabbing their necks with scissors to sever their spinal cords and sometimes suctioned their skulls.

The conditions of the clinic have been described as deplorable. According to a criminal complaint, shelves in the clinics were lined with bags and bottles holding aborted fetuses. Severed feet were said to be kept for no medical purpose. Gosnell is accused of murdering 41-year-old patient Karnamaya Mongar. Reports say Mongar died November 20, 2009, after overdosing on anesthetics prescribed by the doctor.

Born in Bhutan, Mongar had spent 18 years living in a bamboo hut in a Nepalese refugee camp before going to the United States in July 2009 as part of a humanitarian resettlement program, reports say. The mother of four and grandmother of one was 19 weeks into her pregnancy when, after getting a referral from a Washington, D.C., medical clinic, she went to Gosnell's practice.

Reports say that a high school student was employed at the clinic, paid $8.50 an hour to operate an ultrasound machine, administer anesthesia and diagnose sexually transmitted diseases.

Investigators say Gosnell made thousands of dollars a night, mostly in cash, for a few hours of work performing abortions. Nine of Gosnell's employees have also been charged, four with murder. None had any medical training. Gosnell, who is not a registered obstetrician or gynecologist has been charged with eight counts of murder and is next scheduled to appear in court on February 9.



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Vodafone and Compliants


Comment:

'Customer is King'... IF and when corporations FAIL to understand that, that means its the downfall of their multi-million (billion and trillion) dollars business. Its that simple really!

So how do corporation understand/appreciate customers?

1- By making them King/Queen, take their complaints seriously, if they are satisfied, they will promote you, by word of mouth, to their friends and relatives. BUT if they don't like you, they will make it their 'crusade' to bring the bad news around to their friends, relatives and strangers like a fireball.

2- Never try to 'short-change' (below average service received, for the amount of money paid) the customer, even for once! The customer will keep it to their hearts, and will spell it all out in due time... Its like a 'time'bomb' ready to exploit.

3- Take customers 'feedbacks' like its coming from the top (e.g. the CEO, CIO, Manager). IF customers felt that their advises (feedbacks) are not taken seriously, they will backfire the large corporation, like a loose canon gun. Most 'unsuccessful' companies does not even have a 'feedback' box, let alone, taking the advises from their good customers. Thats why they don't grow big, and even fail.

The large corporation did not even realises that the advises from their customers are more 'trustworthy' than that of their managers or supervisors, who only reported 'good news' to the big bosses.

And what makes it more fustrating is when the large corporations 'outsources' their Online Services and/or Complaint Unit to third party (who may be situated in another country), who careless about the success or failure of these corporation, as long as they get their salaries. Most of the time, customers felt cheated when these online outsources operators (so-called 'Customer Service Representatives'/CSR) do not get the complaint of the customers right, and simply dismissed the customers after a few minutes. Hence, customers have no way to turn to - except to their local governors for complaints (and hence, make the personal issues, a national issues).

See the news below:
AAP January 21, 2011, 10:09 am


Vodafone says it's working hard to improve its service following a damning report that outlined thousands of complaints ranging from patchy network coverage to poor customer service. The telco giant on Friday responded to the 30-page report by Vodafail.com, which summarises accounts by 12,000 unhappy Vodafone customers.

The Vodafail report was submitted to the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) on Friday.

It analyses thousands of similar stories from customers about hours spent on hold to Vodafone's call centre trying to make a complaint about its 3G network issues, including frequent call dropouts and delayed receipt of voicemail and text messages.

Customers said they were fobbed off by Vodafone Customer Service Representatives who said there weren't any known network issues and the problems they were experiencing were related to their handset or SIM card. In most cases suggestions to reboot the phone or get a new SIM card didn't solve the problem.

The report claims Vodafone seemed indifferent and failed to properly handle complaints.


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Kidnapped US Baby

AAP January 21, 2011, 5:35 am

A woman who was kidnapped as a infant 23 years ago says finding her real mother "felt like a dream". "I'm so happy. At the same time, it's a funny feeling because everything's brand new. It's like being born again," said the woman, who was named Carlina White by her parents but was raised in Connecticut under the name, Nejdra Nance.

The 19-day-old baby Carlina was kidnapped in 1987 after her worried parents took her to Harlem Hospital with a fever. A woman who was dressed as a nurse abducted the baby. No suspect was ever arrested.

Carlina's distraught parents, Joy White and Carl Tyson, feared they would never see their daughter again. Carlina, or Nejdra, was raised by an abusive drug addict, she told the New York Post. She said she had long suspected she wasn't the woman's real daughter.

When she got pregnant herself at 16, she asked her mother for a birth certificate so she could get prenatal care. Her mother could not provide one. She gave birth to a daughter who is now six, and when she recently moved on her own to Atlanta, Georgia, she decided to seek out her birth parents.

The Center for Missing and Exploited Children helped her connect the dots. Then the centre contacted Joy White. "We may have found your daughter," Joy White said the caller told her. DNA tests confirmed Nejdra was Carlina. Mother and daughter were reunited on Saturday; they were in a Manhattan hotel on Thursday. The Post interviewed them at the hotel on Wednesday. "I'm sitting here and I'm in a daze, thinking, 'Is this for real?'

"I missed the last 23 years of her life. I have to take it all in, for now just take it day by day," Joy White told the newspaper.Carlina White said: "I just never gave up on finding my real mother. I just kept on pushing."

Also see:
National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
Charles B. Wang International Children's Building
699 Prince Street Alexandria, Virginia 22314-3175
The United States of America
24-hour Hotline: 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678)
Phone: 703-224-2150 Fax: 703-224-2122
Source:

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14 January 2011

Mahkamah Batal Saman Um Hafilda !


(14 April 2011)

Mahkamah BATAL Saman Ummi Hafilda


KUALA LUMPUR 13 April – Mahkamah Tinggi hari ini membatalkan saman RM100 juta yang dikemukakan oleh Ummi Hafilda Ali terhadap ahli perniagaan, Baginda Minda dan penerbit portal berita, Mkini Dotcom Sdn. Bhd. atas dakwaan menyiarkan artikel berunsur fitnah dan menjatuhkan maruahnya.

Hakim Datin Zabariah Mohd. Yusof memutuskan demikian setelah peguam kesemua pihak yang terlibat tidak hadir ketika pengurusan kes buat pertama kali didengar di kamar beliau.

Pada 17 Mac lalu, Ummi Hafilda, 43, selaku plaintif memfailkan saman terhadap Nor Azman Abdullah @ Baginda Minda dan penerbit portal berita di Internet itu, Mkini Dotcom Sdn. Bhd. masing-masing sebagai defendan pertama dan kedua. Dalam pernyataan tuntutan, Ummi Hafilda mendakwa, Baginda Minda telah memberikan kenyataan sindiran (innuendo) yang merujuk kepada dirinya pada sidang akhbar yang diadakan di lobi Bangunan Parlimen pada 15 Mac lalu.

Menurutnya, ayat-ayat fitnah yang diucapkan oleh Baginda Minda membawa maksud bahawa plaintif seorang ahli perniagaan yang terdesak untuk mendapatkan peluang perniagaan, seorang wanita yang tidak bermoral, tidak jujur, pembohong dan tidak boleh dipercayai.


Debat Dengan Saya Dulu - UHafilda


Komen:


10 tahun lalu, saya kesian dan kagum dengan kebolehan Anwar, tetapi kini persepsi saya sudah tukar, kini saya nampak Anwar sebagai 'opportunist' yang akan menghancurkan negara demi perjuangan politik yg tidak 'bersih.' Anwar kini takut akan bayang-bayang UMNO, dan bekas ahli PKR, dan individu tertentu, yg akan menjatuhkan Anwar, atau menyebabkan Anwar dimasukkan semula kedlm penjara, jikalau Anwar tidak mendapat/mencapai/menguasai kuasa politik tertinggi negara.

Anwar pernah dimasukkan ke dlm penjara, kini Anwar berjanji yg dia tidak akan dimasukkan ke dlm penjara lagi, itu lah tindak-tanduknya (dan strategi Anwar) nampak mcm drastik dan desperado. Lihatlah laporan media-massa, dan nilai lah sendiri (jikalau anda bukan buta).

Dlm Islam pun, disuruh kita menyokong pemimpin yang bersih dan telus!

Cara Hafilda pun saya tidak suka, dia guna 'seks' (salah laku seks) sebagai laluan utk menjatuhkan orang, dia pun nampak mcm tak bersih, orang mcm dia pun perlu dijaga.

http://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/info.asp?y=2011&dt=0114&pub=Utusan_Malaysia&sec=Muka_Hadapan&pg=mh_01.htm

Debat dengan saya dulu – Ummi Hafilda

Oleh FAIZAH IZZANI ZAKARIA
pengarang@utusan.com.my


UMMI Hafilda Ali menunjukkan antara dokumen yang akan dijadikan bukti dalam kes saman yang akan difailkan di mahkamah pada sidang akhbar di USJ, Subang Jaya, Selangor, semalam. – utusan/Abdul Razak Latif

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KUALA LUMPUR 13 Jan. – Ummi Hafilda Ali mencabar Ketua Pembangkang, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim untuk berdebat dengannya terlebih dahulu berhubung kebenaran kes salah laku seks beliau sebelum mencabar pihak lain. Katanya, Anwar tidak perlu berdebat dengan Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak tentang Pelan 100 Hari yang dicadangkan pakatan pembangkang kerana ia tidak memberi sebarang faedah.

“Saya cabar Anwar berdebat dengan saya. Saya juga cabar Azmin Ali untuk berdebat dengan saya sebelum berdebat dengan Perdana Menteri,” katanya pada sidang akhbar di sini hari ini. Turut hadir pada sidang akhbar itu ialah penasihat undang-undang Ummi Hafilda, Mohd. Khairul Azam Abd. Aziz.

Ummi Hafilda yang pernah menjadi saksi penting kes liwat Anwar pada 1998 turut mencabar Penasihat Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) itu dan Azmin melakukan sumpah laknat bagi membuktikan mereka tidak terbabit dalam segala kes salah laku seks yang didedahkannya ketika itu

“Saya juga mencabar Anwar masuk ke mana-mana masjid bagi membuat sumpah laknat untuk menafikan segala dakwaan yang dikemukakan saya sebelum ini jika betul dia tidak terbabit dengan perbuatan itu,” katanya.

Ummi Hafilda juga dalam pada itu bersumpah dia tidak pernah menerima sebarang bayaran atau upah daripada bekas Perdana Menteri, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad atau kerajaan ekoran pendedahan tentang salah laku Anwar ketika itu.

“Saya bersumpah dengan nama Allah bahawa saya tidak pernah menerima walau satu sen pun upah ketika itu. Jika saya berbohong maka saya akan dilaknat. Ummi Hafilda berkata, dia akan mengemukakan semua bukti penting berhubung perilaku Anwar dan yang lain di mahkamah melalui saman yang akan difailkan nanti.

Sebelum ini, Ummi Hafilda menyatakan akan memfailkan saman berjumlah RM700 juta terhadap Anwar, Azmin, Wan Azizah, peguam Karpal Singh dan parti Pas kerana salah laku mereka terhadapnya pada 1997. Daripada jumlah itu, saman terhadap Anwar berjumlah RM300 juta dibuat atas dakwaan salah guna kuasa selaku Timbalan Perdana Menteri pada 1997 yang mengarahkan dia ditangkap dan didera bagi mendapatkan pengakuan palsu berhubung skandal seks.

Selain itu, Ummi Hafilda bakal memfailkan saman berjumlah RM200 juta terhadap Karpal, RM100 juta terhadap Wan Azizah dan RM100 juta lagi terhadap Pas. Dalam pada itu, dia juga bercadang menjelajah ke seluruh negara bagi menerangkan kepada rakyat berhubung salah laku Anwar dan konco-konconya. “Tidak ada sebab untuk saya takut. Malah saya tahu Anwar memang takut kepada saya sebab itu dia tidak menyaman apabila saya menulis dalam blog mengenai segala yang dia buat,” katanya.


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Comment:


Anwar thought that he was safe when he took Azmin Ali as his 'righthand man', hence avoiding Hafilda legal sue. How wrong Anwar thought was.

IF this is not for the political benefit of Hafilda, then what is?! (See news below).


Sister against brother? Ummi Hafilda to campaign for BN in next polls!

By Adib Zalkapli

PETALING JAYA, Jan 13 — Ummi Hafilda Ali, a key witness in Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s first sodomy trial, vowed today to actively campaign for Barisan Nasional (BN) in the next general election. Ummi claimed that her presence in BN’s campaign would prevent a repeat of Election 2008 when the coalition lost its customary two-thirds parliamentary majority for the first time.

“If anyone is willing to invite me, I will go. Some may say Anwar is a great orator but I know he is afraid of me,” she said at a press conference here. Prior to Election 2008, the sister of PKR deputy president Azmin Ali was active in addressing Umno-organised rallies where she related her experience in exposing Anwar’s alleged sexual misconduct to former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

Anwar was later convicted for abuse of power and sodomy and was released in 2004 after the sodomy conviction was overturned by the Federal Court, but is currently on trial for allegedly sodomising his former aide in 2008.

Ummi resurfaced recently and appeared on the front page of Umno-owned Utusan Malaysia last month where she urged Azmin to repent. “In the 12th general election, when I did not take part in the campaign, you could see how arrogant Anwar was when spreading lies, because of his lies we lost five states to the opposition,” Ummi said.

“If I go around the country campaigning that will be the end of Anwar because I know his secrets,” she added. She stressed that even without invitation from Umno she would still proceed with her nationwide tour.

“I have my strategy, but I understand if the government does not want to be involved as they may be tired of the accusation by Anwar that the government has been involved in a conspiracy against him,” said Ummi, who claims to be an Umno member.

“But for me I have no reason to be afraid, in fact I’m challenging him for a debate, there is no need for him to debate with the prime minister,” she added, referring to Anwar’s challenge to Najib for a debate on the national economy.

She is also planning to file several lawsuits against Pakatan Rakyat (PR) leaders for allegedly defaming her and for attempting to cover up Anwar’s alleged crime. She said she has been in discussion with her lawyer to sue Anwar, his lawyer Karpal Singh, PAS central committee member Mohamad Sabu and PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Ismail. – The Malaysian Insider

Also see:
http://alhaj.wordpress.com/2011/01/13/hafilda-and-azmin-sister-against-brother/




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Pengarah Urusan & Anak diarah Bela Diri

Komen:
kesian kpd Datuk Pengarah/Pengurus itu dan anak-anak perempuannya... Tetapi, siapa pula akan kesian kpd pelabur-pelabur yg dijanji (manis) pelaburan mereka, yg sudah tenggelam bersama Datuk Pengurus itu?!


http://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/info.asp?y=2011&dt=0114&pub=Utusan_Malaysia&sec=Terkini&pg=bt_04.htm
(14th January 2011)

Pengarah urusan dan anak diarah bela diri
14/01/2011 12:40pm


KUALA LUMPUR 14 Jan. - Mahkamah Sesyen di sini hari ini memerintahkan Pengurus Besar Noradz Travel & Services, Datuk Adzhar Sulaiman dan dua anak perempuannya untuk membela diri atas tiga tuduhan mengikut Akta Bank dan Institusi-institusi Kewangan 1989.

Tuduhan itu membabitkan pengambilan deposit haram lebih RM100 juta. Mereka juga menghadapi 360 pertuduhan bawah Akta Penggubahan Wang Haram dan Anti Keganasan 2001, antaranya membabitkan pembelian hartanah, pelaburan bank dn pemindahan wang dari akaun syarikat ke akaun peribadi berjumlah RM59juta daripada hasil pengambilan deposit haram. - Utusan




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