Court sets 15 days to hear Hamzah Zainudin’s son’s trial for accepting RM100,000 bribe

KUALA LUMPUR: The Sessions Court here today set 15 days beginning March 24 next year to hear the corruption case of a former minister's son, Muhammad Faisal Hamzah, who is charged with accepting a RM100,000 bribe six years ago.

Judge Rosli Ahmad has scheduled the trial dates from March 24 to 28, April 14 to 18, and April 21 to 25, 2025.

He set the dates after prosecuting officer Ikhwan Zaudii Nordin, from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), informed the court that the prosecution had handed over the relevant case documents to the defence.

"The prosecution will call about 21 witnesses," he said. The case came up for mention today.

Lawyer Chetan Jethwani, representing Muhammad Faisal, who is a freelance consultant, confirmed receiving the documents and requested a date for case management.

The court then set February 21, 2025, for case management.

Muhammad Faisal Hamzah, 40, who is the son of former Home Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin, was charged with accepting the bribe from Izmir Abd Hamid as an inducement to use his influence to have Heitech Padu Berhad appoint Syarikat Rimba Merpati and Syarikat Per My Solutions as its marketing consultants.

The two companies were paid a commission of RM700,000 after Heitech Padu was awarded an RM33 million worth of "Supply, Rental, Implementation, Training, Support and Maintenance of Security Infrastructure" tender by the Companies Commission of Malaysia.

Muhammad Faisal is charged with committing the offence at an office lot in a shopping mall at Jalan Dutamas 1 here in March 2018.

The charge, framed under Section 16(a)(A) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009, carries a maximum jail term of 20 years and a fine of RM10,000 or five times the amount of the bribe, whichever is higher, upon conviction.

-- BERNAMA

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