Manager charged with taking $160,000 in bribes to renovate house

[hokkien]

The Star/Asia News Network
Saturday, Jul 06, 2013
KUALA LUMPUR - A Petronas Carigali senior manager has been charged with taking RM403,000(S$160,000) in bribes, which he allegedly used to buy and renovate a new house.

Idris M. Shuhud, 47, claimed trial before the Sessions Court here to five counts of taking bribes.

The offence involved his capacity as Hook-Up Commissioning Deve*lopment Division senior manager, and the giver was allegedly Penaga Orbit and Genius Response company director Kamarudin Mohd Daud.

Idris is accused of receiving bribes as inducement to approve official Petronas documents, Technical Bids Evaluation and Service Completion Certificates for Kamarudin's company.

The charge stated that Idris had taken the bribes to pay for a house he had purchased in Bandar Tun Hussein Onn, Cheras, and later for renovations of the house.

The offences under Section 17(a) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act are alleged to have occurred at several locations here, between March 5, 2009 and Jan 20 last year.

If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison or a fine not less than five times the bribe amount or RM10,000, or whichever is higher, for each charge.

Idris was also slapped with four counts of money laundering, by transferring RM385,000 through the current account of O-Vista Industries Sdn Bhd.

He claimed trial to laundering the illegally obtained money that was used to make deposits for the house in Bandar Tun Hussein Onn, Cheras.
The alleged offences occurred at a bank in Wisma PKPS, Section 14, Shah Alam, between March 5 and May 5, 2009, and another bank in KLCC here on Jan 20, 2012.

The charges, under Section (4)(a) Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorism Financing Act 2001 (AMLATFA) are punishable by a maximum RM5mil fine or up to five years in prison, for each.

Deputy public prosecutor from the MACC, Kevin Morais, recommended that bail be set at RM20,000 for each bribery charge, while DPP Mohd Farez Rahman proposed bail of RM100,000 for each count of money laundering.

Mohd Farez also applied that both cases be heard together, as both cases shared a number of witnesses and evidence.

Idris, who was unrepresented, pleaded for lower bail, saying his funds were limited as his accounts had been frozen.

Judge Ahmad Zamzani Mohd Zain allowed bail at RM135,000 in total, with one surety and the additional condition that Idris surrender his passport.

The court fixed Aug 1 for next mention for Idris to elect a law-yer.