The Pahang Palace has revoked businessman G Gnanaraja’s Sri Sultan Ahmad Shah Pahang (SSAP) award, which carries the ‘Datuk Seri’ title, effective March 13.
The letter, dated March 13, stated that Gnanaraja, who was conferred the award on March 19, 2014, at the Pahang Palace in Jalan Raja Chulan, Kuala Lumpur, would not be allowed to use the title with immediate effect.
The title was granted in conjunction with Paduka Ayahanda Sultan Ahmad Shah’s 83rd birthday.
The 38-year-old was also asked to return the award to the Protocol and Official Events Management Division of the State Secretary.
Earlier, Malaysiakini reported that Gnanaraja denied having been stripped of his title.
“(I’m) still Datuk Seri. That is just a rumour,” the news portal quoted him as saying at the Shah Alam Sessions Court.
Gnanaraja, who is the managing director of a company, was charged at the Shah Alam Sessions Court today on three counts of cheating Consortium Zenith Construction Sdn Bhd executive director Datuk Zarul Ahmad Mohd Zulkifli of RM19 million over an investigation into the Penang Undersea Tunnel Project two years ago.
Consortium Zenith Construction is the main contractor for the undersea tunnel project.
He was alleged to have deceived Zarul into believing that he (Gnanaraja) could use his political connections to close an investigation initiated by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) against Zarul for an offence under the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001.
The act prompted Zarul to hand over to Gnanaraja RM4 million cash and another RM15 million through a Maybank account belonging to Visione Construction Sdn Bhd to a CIMB Bank account belonging to Bumi Muhibbah Capital Holding Sdn Bhd.
Gnanaraja was alleged to have committed all the offences at a hotel in Damansara and a bank in Kuala Lumpur in July and August 2017.
He was charged under Section 420 of the Penal Code and faced up to 10 years’ jail, whipping and a fine, if found guilty.
The prosecution, conducted by deputy public prosecutor Datuk Umar Saifuddin Jaafar, from MACC, offered bail of RM100,000 in one surety.
Lawyer Datuk Geethan Ram Vincent, representing Gnanaraja, did not object to it.
Following which, Judge Rozilah Salleh allowed Gnanaraja to be released on bail of RM100,000 in one surety and also ordered him to surrender his passport to the court.
The court set May 6 for mention.
Described on his website as a Malaysian actor, film producer, social entrepreneur and public speaker, Gnanaraja also has a number of business interests.
According to his website, he was born in Johor and has a law degree from the University of Hertfordshire.
His wife Geethanjali is a prominent social media personality among the Tamil-speaking community.
The couple has twin boys.
Last March, when the MACC was probing Gnanaraja, political rivals had trained their guns on then Penang chief minister Lim Guan Eng over a photo showing him with the businessman.
The Penang Chief Minister’s Office had called the attempts to link Lim to Gnanarajaan as a disgusting attempt carried out to smear Lim’s name.
It added that the chief minister had posed for photographs with numerous individuals.