Corruption: Former military intelligence head, two senior ATM officers plead not guilty

KUALA LUMPUR: Former director-general of the Defence Intelligence Division at the Defence Ministry Lieutenant General (Rtd) Datuk Sheikh Moksin Sheikh Hassan, 59, and two senior officers of the Malaysian Armed Forces (ATM) were charged in the Sessions Court here today with soliciting and accepting gratification in connection with the awarding of the Defence Ministry’s projects to a company.

Sheikh Moksin, 59, who faced seven charges, while Lieutenant Colonel Che Ahmad Idris, 54, and Brigadier-General Mohammed Feizol Anuar Ayob, 50, with five charges each, pleaded not guilty to all the after they were read out separately before Judge Datin Sabariah Othman.

Che Ahmad was charged in his capacity as the then head of the Strategic Cyber ​​Warfare Branch, Defence Intelligence Staff Division, at the Defence Ministry, with soliciting and agreeing to accept RM500,000 in gratification, as well as three counts of accepting RM105,000 from FEHM Entity Sdn Bhd (FEHM Entity) managing director Elias Jemadi Tajudin as an inducement to appoint the company through direct negotiation to carry out maintenance services at the division.

He was charged with committing the offences at Kompleks Perumahan Tun Osman Jewa, Kementah, here between Sept 2019 and April 7, 2020.

Mohammed Feizol Anuar, was charged in his capacity as the then military adviser to the Defence Minister, with five counts of accepting a total of RM128,000 from Elias Jemadi through FEHM Entity executive director Hishamuddin Johari and project manager Nurin Nazwa Elias Jemadi as an inducement for him to help submit a letter of intent by the company to be a strategic partner and contractor for maintenance of intelligence equipment at the Defence Intelligence Staff Division in the Defence Ministry.

The offences were allegedly committed at the parking area of Masjid Khalid Al-Walid, Kementah; parking area at Dorsett Residences Sri Hartamas; in front of FEHM Entity offices in Wangsa Maju and Persiaran Bukit Melawati, Bukit Melawati, here between Oct 30, 2019 and June 24, 2020.

As for Sheikh Mokhsin, he was charged in his capacity as the then Defence Intelligence head, with soliciting and agreeing to accept RM1 million in gratification, as well as four counts of accepting a total of RM266,000 from Elias Jemadi as an inducement for him to approve a proposal to appoint FEHM Entity through direct negotiation for maintenance services at the Defence Intelligence Division.

He was alleged to have committed the offences at Havana Club, Hotel Concorde; Defence Intelligence Division Office at the Defence Ministry and at HairDoc Medical Publica, Solaris Dutamas, here between June 20, 2019 and June 5, 2020.

Sheikh Mokhsin also faced another charge with accepting RM50,000 from one Syed Omar Syed Mohamad as an inducement in appointing Malvus Sense Sdn Bhd to carry out procurement, supply, delivery, training and providing accreditation for two special systems at the Defence Intelligence Division at 2.30 pm on June 26, 2020.

All the charges were framed under Section 16(a)(B) of the MACC Act which provides an imprisonment for up to 20 years and fine of not less than fives times the amount of the gratification, or RM10,000, whichever is higher, if found guilty.

The court allowed them bail with one surety each, with Che Ahmad at RM80,000, Mohammed Feizol Anuar (RM60,000) and Sheikh Moksin (RM110,000).

All of them were also ordered to surrender their passports to the court and to report themselves at the nearest MACC office once a month.

The court set Nov 27 for mention for submission of documents.

The prosecution was conducted by deputy public prosecutors Muhammad Asraf Mohamed Tahir, Nik Isfahanie Tasnim Wan Abd Rahman and Siti Noor Hafizan Zakaria, while lawyers Gooi Soon Seng, Azrul Zulkifli Stork and P.G. Cyril Ahmad, represented Che Ahmad, Mohammed Feizol Anuar and Sheikh Moksin, respectively.

-- BERNAMA