SEREMBAN: Four individuals, including two Port Dickson Municipal Council (MPPD) officers, claimed trial in the Sessions Court here to charges of soliciting and accepting bribes.
Azman Halidin, 55, and Arfizi Mustaffa, 38, and MPPD officers Khairil Rizal Mahtar, 45, and Mohd Azmi Mohd Hashim, 41, pleaded not guilty when charged separately for the offences allegedly committed between 2017 and 2020 before judge Rushan Lutfi Mohamed.
Both Azman and Arfizi were also working with the MPPD when the offences were committed.
Azman has since retired while Arfizi’s contract was not renewed.
Azman was charged with soliciting RM400 from one Teo Chin Seng for not having a valid licence from the council to operate a stall at the Lukut market.
He allegedly committed the offence at the MPPD office in Jalan Pantai in mid-October 2017.
For the second charge, he allegedly accepted RM300 from one Gan Song Hang for also operating a stall at the Lukut market without a valid licence.
He allegedly committed the offence in early August 2020 at Kg Sri Parit in Lukut.
Khairil Rizal was charged with soliciting RM1,000 from one Hiew Tek Yen to help him get a licence to run a car wash centre from the MPPD.
He allegedly committed the offence between July and November 2018 in Jalan Seremban, Port Dickson.
Mohd Azmi was charged with soliciting RM1,800 from guava seller Tan Mei Sim for operating without a licence.
He allegedly committed the offence on Feb 15, 2020, at the Lukut night market.
Arfizi was charged with accepting RM500 on two occasions from Tan for operating without a valid licence.
He allegedly committed the first offence on March 10, 2020, and the second on Sept 5, 2020. Both offences were allegedly committed at a bank in Port Dickson.
The accused were charged under Section 16(a)(B) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act, which is punishable under Section 24(1) of the same Act.
Offenders can be jailed up to two years and fined not less than five times the amount of bribe involved or RM10,000, whichever is higher, upon conviction.
The court granted Azman and Arfizi bail of RM10,000 in one surety each, while Mohd Azmi and Khairil Rizal were offered RM8,000 each.
Rushan fixed March 29 for mention of Khairil Rizal, Mohd Azmi and Arfizi’s cases, while Azman’s was set for March 31.
Earlier, Rushan imposed a RM7,000 fine on one Wong Lai Huat, 62, in default of five months’ jail after he pleaded guilty to acting as a middleman for one Kok Chin Lee who had been operating without a licence at the Lukut night market.
He was accused of accepting RM150 from Kok to be given as a bribe to MPPD officers.
Wong was charged with committing the offence in May 2019 at the Lukut night market.
