PETALING JAYA: Six people nationwide, including Terengganu’s former Forestry Department director Datuk Azmi Nordin, have been charged with bribery.
Azmi, 58, claimed trial in the Kuala Terengganu Sessions Court yesterday to accepting RM60,000 from a timber contractor four years ago.
He is accused of accepting the money as an inducement to approve a logging application in Hulu Terengganu Forest Reserve from a timber contractor in 2013.
The charges under Section 165 of the Penal Code carry a jail term of up to two years or a fine or both, on conviction.
Judge Mohamad Haldar Abdul Aziz set bail at RM15,000 with one surety and impounded Azmi’s passport, fixing May 8 for re-mention.
In Kuala Lumpur, two men claimed trial in the Sessions Court to giving RM2,300 bribes to anti-graft officers as inducement not to take action against them over alleged involvement in illegal sand mining activities on a reserve land in Putrajaya.
K. Mohan, 40 and How Ah Lai, 45, who are supervisors at the illegal mining site were charged with giving a bribe of RM2,000 and RM300 respectively to two different Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) officers on Feb 11 last year.
Judge Madihah Harullah set bail at RM15,000 for Mohan and RM10,000 for How pending mention on May 8. She also ordered both to surrender their passports.
In Kuantan, state Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) officer Abu Zahrim Ismail, 44, was charged with making false claims totalling RM23,400 three years ago.
He pleaded not guilty to the charge under Section 18 of the MACC Act before Sessions Court judge Habibah Mohamed Yusof, who granted RM4,000 bail and fixed May 15 for mention.
In Seremban, another Perhilitan officerfrom Dengkil, Selangor, also claimed trial at the Sessions Court to a charge of receiving a RM10,000 bribe to approve a company’s contract in monthly cleaning services for the department’s premises in Paya Indah Wetland.
A’zman Othman, 46, allegedly received RM10,000 from Omri Omar to approve SSMY Sutera Enterprise’s contract between April and October 2015.
Sessions Court judge Fathiyah Idris set RM20,000 as bail with one surety and ordered the accused’s passport to be impounded. She also set May 5 for re-mention.
In another development in Alor Setar, an assistant enforcement officer with the Kedah Domestic Trade and Consumerism Ministry was charged with accepting a RM200 bribe from an illegal fuel depot owner.
Norzaishafril Shaffie, 37, was alleged to have committed the offence at an unnumbered fuel warehouse at Kampung Remia Manis in Padang Terap on Sept 24, 2014.
He was charged under Section 165 of the Penal Code which carries a jail term of up to two years or fine or both.
Sessions Court Judge Zanol Rashid fixed bail at RM4,000 with one surety and set April 27 for mention.
Read more at http://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2017/04/05/six-charged-with-bribery-exterengganu-forestry-dept-director-among-the-accused/#JrQ7fyhzhX1VoSdZ.99
