KUALA LUMPUR: A former construction executive at Petronas Carigali Sdn Bhd (PCSB) has claimed trial at two separate Sessions Courts here to 43 counts of receiving bribes and money laundering amounting to more than RM6.1mil.
At the first court, 36-year-old Mohd Amal M. Razalan pleaded not guilty after 37 charges were read out before Sessions Court judge Rozina Ayob here on Wednesday (Jan 4).
It took about an hour for the court interpreter to read the charges under Section 16(a) (A) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009.
According to the first until 21st charges, Mohd Amal allegedly received bribes in 21 different transactions from Majestika Sdn Bhd director Mustaza Zawawi through a Maybank account belonging to MAMN Goldenvision Enterprise, with the abetment with MAMN Goldenvision's director Muhammad Nazreen Abd Hamid, as inducement for the accused to help Faltech Engineering Sdn Bhd to obtain the works involving "Provision of Civil & Structural Maintenance Services for PCSB".
Mohd Amal was also accused of receiving bribes in three transactions from SAP House Sdn Bhd project manager Robert Khoo that were credited into a Maybank account belonging his own business, Goldentree Enterprise, as gratification for him to check and approve documents in relation to "job completion ticket" by SAP House Sdn Bhd, linked to a contract between PCSB and Faltech Engineering.
For the remaining 13 charges, Mohd Amal allegedly received bribes from Khoo through cheques belonging to SAP House, which were banked into MAMN Goldenvision's Maybank account with the abetment of Muhammad Nazreen, as gratification for Mohd Amal to approve a PCSB job completion ticket linked to the "Provision Of Civil & Structural Maintenance Services For PCSB – Sarawak Operations" contract.
Based on the 37 charges, the kickbacks Mohd Amal allegedly received were between RM2,078 to a whopping RM825,503.60.
All of the offences were allegedly committed at the Maybank branch, KLCC, between Dec 21, 2016 and Aug 1, 2019.
Deputy public prosecutor Mohamad Fadhly Mohd Zamry offered bail between RM1mil to RM2mil but this was objected to by lawyer Datuk Hasnal Rezua Merican who said the amount was exorbitant.
Hasnal said his client was jobless after his employment was terminated by Petronas during the investigation.
"I ask for a reasonable amount in the range of RM100,000. That is sufficient to secure his attendance," the lawyer said.
Hasnal said his client was the sole breadwinner in his family.
"He has a wife who is not working and two children. His father is paralysed and two of his siblings are not working," Hasnal added.
Rozina fixed bail at RM150,000 in one surety and ordered for the accused to surrender his passport to the court and to report himself to the MACC headquarters each month.
Before another Sessions Court judge Azura Alwi, Mohd Amal was slapped with six charges of money laundering under Section 4(1)(b) of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001, amounting to RM939,334.10.
He was accused of five counts of receiving RM798,985.49 from MAMN Goldenvision and MGV Energy Sdn Bhd, monies which were believed to be proceeds from unlawful activities, through four bank accounts belonging to Muhammad Nazreen.
For the sixth charge, Mohd Amal allegedly used RM140,348.61 from MGV Energy through two CIMB accounts belonging to him.
The offences were allegedly committed at Maybank, KLCC and CIMB, Jalan Pantai Baru between July 13, 2017 and March 18, 2022.
Azura allowed bail at RM30,000 in one surety.
Both cases are fixed for mention on Feb 15.
