A three-member bench, chaired by Justice Ruzima Ghazali, also allowed Aldrin Pratama Widjaja’s passport to be returned and revoked an order that he report to the nearest police station once a month.
Deputy public prosecutor Ashrof Adrin Kamarul did not object to an application made by Aldrin, earlier believed by the authorities to be Paiman Shakimon.
Justice Zaini Mazlan and Azmi Ariffin were also on the bench to hear the application.
Last month, High Court judge Jamil Hussin declared that Aldrin is not Paiman, a convicted offender, following an inquiry ordered by the Court of Appeal on Sept 26, 2023.
Delivering his broad grounds of judgment, Jamil said the prosecution had failed to prove that Aldrin and Paiman were the same person.
He said the respondent (Aldrin) had created a doubt in the prosecution’s case.
On April 27, 2022, the Court of Appeal stayed the execution of a warrant of committal taken out against Aldrin and set bail for him at RM1 million pending his appeal over the High Court’s denial of his right to prove his true identity.
On Sept 26, 2023, the Court of Appeal set aside the warrant and ordered the inquiry, saying it was unsafe to commit a person to prison when his identity was in dispute, adding that it involved his personal liberty.
On April 19, 2011, Paiman was sentenced to 26 years in prison by the sessions court after being found guilty on two counts of cheating and two counts of falsifying documents involving RM12 million belonging to victims in an investment fraud case between 2005 and 2006.
Then sessions court judge BS Jagjit Singh ordered the jail sentences to run concurrently, which meant he would have to serve 13 years.
Paiman appealed to the High Court and bail was set at RM750,000. He absconded after being released on bail.
On Nov 13, 2021, police arrested Aldrin, claiming that he was Paiman.
The High Court ordered him to serve the jail sentence imposed by the sessions court.
Outside court today, Ashrof said the prosecution had filed a notice of appeal against Jamil’s decision.
Meanwhile, Hisyam Teh Poh Teik, who represented Aldrin, said the warrant of arrest was still in force to locate and arrest Paiman to serve the sentence imposed on him.