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THE INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER IN BRUNEI DARUSSALAM, SABAH AND SARAWAK B$1.00 | RM3.50 FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2020 VOL.24 | NO.209
LIFESTYLE 18
A platform for senior citizens
FEATURES 26
Aiming to connect businesses
digitally
WORLD 30
Malaysia’s Mahathir says Parliament
will pick new PM
BUSINESS 14
World shares slump after Trump
announcement on virus plans
HOME 8
Local biker attempts record
Minister of Culture, Youth andSportsMajor General (Rtd) Dato Paduka Seri AwangHaji Aminuddin
Ihsan bin Pehin Orang Kaya Saiful Mulok Dato Seri Paduka Haji Abidin taking a closer look at
the newly launched ‘Kesultanan Brunei Darussalam’ book during its launching ceremony at the
Brunei History Centre in Bandar Seri Begawan yesterday. TEXT & PHOTO: ROKIAH MAHMUD &
RAHWANI ZAHARI (Full report on Page 3)
NEW BOOK ON BRUNEI SULTANATE
LAUNCHED
Saudi Arabia
suspends entry
for pilgrims over
coronavirus
RIYADH (AFP) - Saudi Arabia yesterday
suspended visas for visits to Islam’s
holiest sites for the Umrah pilgrimage,
an unprecedented move triggered by
coronavirus fears that raises questions
over the annual Haj.
The kingdom, which hosts millions of
pilgrims every year in the cities of Makkah
and Madinah, also suspended visas for
tourists from countries with reported
infections as fears of a pandemic deepen.
Saudi Arabia, which so far has
reported no cases of the virus but
has expressed alarm over its spread
in neighbouring countries, said the
suspensions were temporary.
But it provided no timeframe for when
they will be lifted, and the decision left
tens of thousands of pilgrims preparing
to visit the kingdom from around the
world in limbo.
Continue to Page 2
James Kon
Members of the public can now conve-
niently pay their housing bills online with
the launch of the One Common Billing Sys-
tem (OCBS) at the Housing Development
Department at the Ministry of Development
(MoD) yesterday.
The new system will enable the public to
pay their housing bills via the OCBS portal
and Internet banking.
The payment receipt will then be
emailed or sent to the mobile phone of the
owner and payer.
OCBS will assist the Housing Develop-
ment Department to monitor the outstand-
ing bills by generating a complete and
accurate report, in addition to easing the
claims of outstanding housing bills.
The guest of honour was Minister at
the Prime Minister’s OfŒice and Minister of
Finance and Economy II Dato Seri Setia Dr
Awang Haji Mohd Amin Liew bin Abdullah,
together with Minister of Development
Dato Seri Setia Ir Awang Haji Suhaimi bin
Haji Gafar.
Deputy Minister of Finance and Econ-
omy (Fiscal) Dato Seri Paduka Awang
Haji Ahmaddin bin Haji Abdul Rahman,
Deputy Minister of Finance and Economy
(Economy) Dato Seri Paduka Dr Haji Ab-
dul Manaf bin Haji Metussin, and Deputy
Minister of Development Dato Seri Padu-
ka Ar Haji Marzuke bin Haji Mohsin were
also present.
MoFE introduces ‘One
Common Billing System’
Acting Director of Housing Development
Haji Shaharuddin Khairul bin Haji Anuar
said, “The launching of OCBS provides an
opportunity for the Housing Development
Department as the Œirst government agency
to implement the system to better serve
the public.”
Acting Accountant General of the
Treasury Department Hajah Chairani binti
Haji Sulaiman said, “The implementation
of OCBS is in line with the 4.0 Industrial
Revolution. Developed by the Treasury
Department, OCBS is a graded system of
the ePayment gateway for government
agencies that do not have existing billing or
revenue collection systems.
Continue to Page 2
Fadley Faisal
Justice Gareth Lugar-Mawson delivered
his decision on the applications made by
the Public Prosecutor in the case against
Ramzidah binti Pehin Datu Kesuma Diraja
Colonel (Rtd) Haji Abdul Rahman and
Haji Nabil Daraina bin Pehin Udana Khatib
Dato Paduka Seri Setia Ustaz Haji Awang
Badaruddin yesterday.
The High Court granted the prosecu-
tion’s application for a restraining order
under the Criminal Asset Recovery Order
(CARO) over properties including mon-
ies held in local banks in respect to ac-
counts belonging to the defendants and
their two children, 19 vehicles purchased at
BND3,203,655 and 456 luxury items worth
BND1,316,274 which included watches, hand-
bags, accessories and shoes belonging to
both defendants.
The prosecution said these properties
are considered tainted property and may
be subjected to a conŒiscation order under
CARO at a later date.
In respect of the Prosecution’s application
for the defendants to pay prosecution’s costs,
Justice Lugar-Mawson was not satisŒied that
they did not have the means to pay.
“This is having regard to the BND6 million
misappropriated which remains untraced and
HC grants prosecution’s applications in judiciary couple case
unaccounted for. Despite having numerous
opportunities to inform the authorities what
happened to the money or if any of it remains
unavailable, the defendants have chosen not
to,” the Justice said.
The court viewed that even though the
money involved in the money laundering
charges against Haji Nabil Daraina is smaller
compared to the BND15.75 million that was
misappropriated by Ramzidah, the fact
remains that he shared the beneŒits of the
large amounts of money misappropriated
by his wife in living and enjoying an
extravagant lifestyle.
Continue to Page 6