KUALA LUMPUR: A company director pleaded not guilty in a Sessions Court here to charges of soliciting and accepting bribes amounting to RM15mil to secure projects from the Home Ministry in 2021.
Datuk Seri Sim Choo Thiam, 53, entered the plea after the charges were read out to him before Judge Rozina Ayob yesterday.
He is facing a charge of soliciting a bribe amounting to RM15mil from Asia Coding Centre Sdn Bhd managing director Hep Kim Hong through Syed Abu Zafran Syed Ahmad.
Sim was also charged with three counts of accepting RM15mil in bribes from the same individual.
The offences were allegedly committed at two different locations – Shaas Holdings office and a parking lot at Solaris Dutamas, Jalan Dutamas 1 here, some time between June and July 30, 2021.
The charges were framed under Section 16 (a)(B) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act, punishable under Section 24(1) of the same Act, which carries a maximum jail sentence of 20 years and a fine of not less than five times the amount or value of the bribe or RM10,000 whichever is higher, if convicted, Bernama reported.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Ahmad Akram Gharib proposed bail of RM1mil in one surety, with additional conditions that the accused must surrender his passport to the court and report himself to the MACC office in Kuala Lumpur every month.
Lawyer Low Wei Loke, representing the accused, agreed to the bail amount and additional terms proposed by the prosecution and told the court that his client would post bail.
The court set bail at RM1mil in one surety for all four charges and fixed June 14 for re-mention of the case.
