General manager charged with 14 graft counts involving RM1.8mil, BMW 5 Series

NEWSTRAITSTIMES

KUALA LUMPUR: A general manager of a subsidiary company of Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) was charged at the Sessions Court today with 14 counts of graft involving almost RM2 million and a BMW 5 Series.

Shahanom Uthman, 52, of Malaysia Transformer Manufacturing Sdn Bhd, pleaded not guilty to the charges of accepting bribes in cash totalling to RM1,881,000 and luxury car worth RM140,000.

The accused allegedly received the bribes in his capacity as the company's head and general manager of the project and services division from two businessmen namely Ahsan Sabri Oang Abdullah and Te Boon Chun as an inducement for giving discount on a tender for the purchase of unprocessed copper.

The offences were allegedly committed at the parking lots of shopping malls, office buildings and restaurants around the city between Dec 5, 2013 and Dec 18, 2014.

Deputy public prosecutor Aida Adhha Abu Bakar proposed a RM300,000 bail and for the accused's passport to be handed to the court.

"The offences committed by the accused are serious and the amount received was not small," she said.

In pleading for minimum bail, Shahanom's counsel Fahmi Abd Moin said his client could only afford that amount adding that his wife was now suffering from major depression disorder.

"He needs to be beside his wife and care for her and if the bail amount is too high to an extent that he could not afford it, his wife's condition might become more serious," he said pleading for a RM30,000 bail be imposed on his client.

A letter from the Hospital Besar KL stating Shahanom's wife's condition was also produced before the court.

He said the father of four was suspended from his job as the general manager of project and services.

Judge Sohaini Alias set RM250,000 bail with two sureties and ordered for the accused's passport to be surrendered to the court until the disposal of the case.

The case will come up for mention on April 29.