IPOH: A Farmers' Organisation Authority branch general manager has been charged at the Sessions Court here for using his position to obtain a bribe by approving a payment to his wife's company.
Wan Khairul Faizee Wan Zulkifli, 40, claimed trial after the charge under Section 23 (1) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act was read before Judge Datuk Ibrahim Osman here on Thursday (July 18).
Wan Khairul Faizee, who is also the branch's economic affairs officer, was accused of having approved a payment voucher to a company owned by his wife, Ruzlin Hafinaz Redzuan, for a tablet computer worth RM7,400 at the branch office on Nov 16, 2020.
The offence is punishable under Section 24 of the same Act.
When requesting a lower bail, lawyer Raja Mohd Iskandar Zulkarnain, who represented the accused, said his client earns about RM4,500 monthly and has five school-going children, aged 17, 15, 11, eight and six.
"The accused has cooperated throughout the investigation. A bail is to ensure his attendance and is not a penalty," he said, adding that Wan Khairul Faizee is not a flight risk, having lived here for about a decade.
Ibrahim set bail at RM10,000 with one surety and Aug 20 for mention.
He also ordered Wan Khairul Faizee to report to the nearest MACC office every month until the case was completed.
MACC prosecuting officer Mohamad Pahmi Ahmad prosecuted.
