Former Tekun Nasional MD, CEO charged with bribery, involving RM36,000

Former Tekun Nasional managing director and chief executive officer Datuk Abdul Rahim Hassan was charged in the Sessions Court here today with soliciting and accepting bribe of RM36,000 from a debt collection company two years ago.

Abdul Rahim, 62, however, pleaded not guilty to both charges before Judge Asmadi Hussin.

He was charged with soliciting through a short messaging system (SMS) for RM36,000, which was 10 per cent of the collection of "TEKUN Nasional Bad Debts" for the month of November 2014 from the owner of debt collection company Pasadana Sdn Bhd, Abdul Muhsin Abdul Rahman, 46.

It was as an inducement to help expedite the payment process for claim by Pasadana of an invoice dated Jan 7, 2015, totalling RM360,009.08.

Abdul Rahim was alleged to have committed the offence at about 8.30pm on Jan 13, 2015.

He was also charged with accepting the bribe money as an inducement for him to do the same at the lobby of Shah Alam Club, Section 13 here, at about 9.30 pm on Jan 15 last year.

Both the charges were made under Section 16 (a)(A) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2009, whereby upon conviction.

If found guilty, Abdul Rahim could be sentenced under Section 24 of the same law which provided an imprisonment for up to 20 years and fine not less than five times the amount of bribe involved, or RM10,000, whichever is higher.

Asmadi allowed Abdul Rahim to be released on a bail of RM18,000 in one surety on both charges and set five days, beginning March 13, to hear the case.

He also set Feb 8 for case management and also ordered Abdul Rahim to surrender his travel documents to the court.

Earlier, the prosecution, conducted by deputy public prosecutor Aida Adha Abu Bakar, from MACC, offered bail of RM40,000 on both charges.

However, lawyer Datuk Hasnal Redzua Merican, representing Abdul Rahim, requested the amount to be reduced to RM18,000 on grounds that his client was a government retiree and had not assets abroad.

On Nov 26, 2015, Abdul Rahim pleaded not guilty in the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court to two counts of using his position to approve TEKUN loans totalling RM200,000 to a company owned by his relatives.

He was discharged, but not amounting to an acquittal, on both the charges last year. -- Bernama