KUALA TERENGGANU – A senior administrative assistant of the Kemaman Municipal Council (MPK) pleaded not guilty in the sessions court here today to six charges of bribery involving instalments by a supply company for the hire-purchase of a vehicle valued at RM90,000.
The charges were read out to Yusliza Othman @ Yusof, 51, before judge Mohd Azhar Othman.
The accused is accused of accepting bribes in the form of instalment payments for the hire-purchase of a Honda Stream vehicle between 2017 and 2022 as an inducement to secure MPK supply contracts for the company.
The supplier allegedly paid the monthly instalments of RM1,068 per month, while the car was fully utilised by the accused.
The charges were framed under Section 16(a)(B) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009, which is punishable by imprisonment of up to 20 years and a fine of at least five times the amount or value of the bribe, or RM10,000, whichever is higher upon conviction.
MACC deputy public prosecutors Mariah Omar and Nur Raihan Mohd Yusof appeared for the prosecution, while the accused was represented by lawyer Abdul Hayyi Salim.
Earlier, Mariah proposed a bail of RM15,000 with one surety and additional conditions refraining the accused from tampering with witnesses and surrendering his passport to the court.
However, Hayyi requested a lower bail, citing that his client is a widower with two children, aged 23 and 18, who are still studying, following his wife’s death in October 2022 due to kidney failure.
The court then set bail at RM12,000 with one surety and agreed to the additional conditions, as well as ordering him to report to the nearest MACC office once a month until the case is concluded.
The court scheduled April 3 for the next case mention for the submission of documents by both parties. – March 19, 2024