Company manager pleads not guilty to graft charge

JOHOR BAHRU: A manager of a construction company pleaded not guilty at the Sessions Court here today to offering a bribe of RM10,000 to obtain a project to repair and improve road safety in Hulu Selangor.

Asdi Ali, 42, was accused of offering a bribe to the Hulu Selangor district engineer as an inducement to obtain the department's cost estimates for work to replace and improve road safety at Jalan Batang Kali-Genting Highlands (B66) and road surface repair work at Jalan Kuala Kali-Rasa in the district of Hulu Selangor, Selangor.

He was accused of committing the offence at Forest City Golf Club, Gelang Patah, in January last year and was charged under Section 17 (b) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009, and is punishable under Section 24 (1) of the same law, which provides for a maximum jail term of 20 years and a fine of not less than five times the total value of the bribe or RM10,000 whichever is higher, if convicted.

MACC prosecuting officer Mohd Aliff Shaharuzaman offered RM10,000 bail in one surety and the accused must report to the MACC Shah Alam office every month besides applying for the case to be transferred to the Shah Alam Sessions Court to be tried jointly with another corruption case faced by the accused, involving the same investigating officer and witnesses.

Lawyer Nazrin Sulaiman, who represented the accused, appealed to the court to apply the RM15,000 bail set previously by the Shah Alam Sessions Court, as well as other conditions set including the accused's passport to be surrendered over to the court and had to report to the Shah Alam MACC office every month.

Judge Datuk Ahmad Kamal Arifin Ismail allowed the accused the same bail set by the Shah Alam Sessions Court and set Jan 26 for re-mention of the case.

-- BERNAMA