Two, including MACC officer claim trial to graft charges

SHAH ALAM: A Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) officer and another individual were charged in the Sessions Court today with four counts of bribery amounting to RM100,000 in April.

Shahrul Izuan Mohd Zain, 41, and Teoh Peng Sin, 55, pleaded not guilty to their respective charges before Judge Rozilah Salleh.

For the main charge, Shahrul Izuan, who is attached to the Putrajaya MACC, is accused of abetting Teoh to accept a RM100,000 cash bribe from Tan Chee Sheng, 34, as an inducement not to conduct an investigation under the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001, by the MACC against Tan.

On the alternative charge, Shahrul Izuan was accused to have deceived the same individual to hand over RM100,000 cash, as an incentive not to investigate the case.

Meanwhile, self-employed Teoh, from Johor Bahru, was charged with accepting a RM100,000 cash bribe from Tan as an inducement for the MACC not to conduct an investigation on the same offence against Tan.

COURT-BRIBERY (MACC) 2 (LAST) SHAH ALAM

Teoh was also charged with an alternative charge of deceiving Tan into handing over RM100,000 to him so that no investigation would be conducted against the latter

The two accused were alleged to have committed the offences at a coffee shop in a shopping mall in Sepang on April 14.

For the main charges, Shahrul Izuan was charged under Section 28 (1) (c), read together with Section 16 (a) (A) of the MACC Act 2009 and Teoh was charged under Section 16 (a) (A) of the same law and they can be punished under Section 24 of the same law which carries a maximum jail term of 20 years and a fine of not less than five times the amount or value of the bribe or RM10,000, or whichever is higher, if convicted.

For the alternative charges, Shahrul Izuan was charged under Section 109 of the Penal Code and read together with Section 417 of the same law; while Teoh was charged under Section 417 of the same law, and if convicted they can be jailed for up to five years or with a fine or both.

The court set bail at RM10,000 in one surety for each accused and ordered both to report at the nearest MACC office every month until the disposal of the case and fixed July 28 for re-mention of the case.

-- BERNAMA