Six Penang JPJ officers charged with graft
NATION
Tuesday, 24 Sep 20196:32 PM MYT
By N. TRISHA
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BUTTERWORTH: A total of six Road Transport Department (JPJ) officers have pleaded not guilty to 14 charges of receiving bribes totalling RM10,900.
The six are enforcement assistants Aminorrofee Rais, 44, Muhammad Faisal Salleh, 33, Abu Ubaidah Yacob, 51, Azrul Faiz Md Saad, 36, and Yusri Jusoh, 48, and assistant vehicle inspector Mohd Sarwani Mohd Nor, 34.
They were charged with receiving bribes from a transport company director to protect his lorry drivers, who may have committed traffic offences.
All of them are also facing 14 alternative charges of obtaining valuable items without any consideration from the company director for the same purpose of protecting the lorry drivers.
Aminorrofee is facing a total of 10 charges involving bribes of RM4,150, while Muhammad Faisal is facing four charges involving RM1,800 and Abu Ubaidah also pleaded not guilty to four charges involving RM2,000.
Azrul Faiz is facing a total of two charges involving bribes of RM800, while Yusri is facing two charges involving RM1,000 and Sarwani pleaded not guilty to six charges involving RM1,150.
All of them pleaded not guilty to all of the charges, which were read out to them separately before Judge Nizam Zakaria.
Under the main charges, they are alleged to have received bribes in the form of cash from a director of Syarikat Sam Lian Transport and Tyre Sdn Bhd and TSR Transport Sdn Bhd, 46-year-old Ooi Cheng Keat as an inducement to not take action against lorries owned by these companies which may have committed offences under the Road Transport Act 1987.
They allegedly committed the offences at several banks in Bukit Mertajam between 2016 and 2018.
All the main charges were framed under Section 16(a)(B) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009 and which are punishable under Section 24 of the same Act, which provides for a maximum jail term of 20 years and a fine of not less than five times the amount of the bribes or RM10,000, whichever is higher, upon conviction.
Under the alternative charges, they are alleged to have obtained valuables without consideration from Ooi in connection with enforcement under the Road Transport Act 1987 against lorries owned by Ooi’s companies.
Lawyer Datuk Naran Singh said he had requested for the court to consider dropping the balance of the charges if his clients pleaded guilty to a charge.
The mention for the case has been set for Nov 6, pending a representation decision.
Read more at https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2019/09/24/six-penang-jpj-officers-charged-with-graft#D6YlFRo0vDg8Ttky.99
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