KUANTAN: A former Pengurusan Air Pahang Berhad (PAIP) procurement manager today claimed trial to 22 charges of accepting bribes amounting to RM44,700 some three years ago.
Sani Khan Ali Khan, 45, pleaded not guilty after the charges were read to him by the court interpreter in front of Sessions Court judge Mohd Ghazali Mohamad Taib.
He was accused of receiving the bribe through a cash deposit machine from contractor Chong Wei Peng and a bank account belonging to Pang Sze Seng as an inducement to award PAIP maintenance works to a company managed by Chong.
Sani Khan, who is now attached to PAIP's education department, was accused of committing the offences at a bank along Jalan Air Putih here between July 6, 2017 and Dec 18, 2018.
He was alleged to have received bribes amounting between RM1,200 on four occasions, RM2,100 on 17 occasions and RM4,200 once.
The charge, under Section 16(a)(A) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act provides an imprisonment for up to a maximum of 20 years and fine of not less than five times the amount or value of the gratification, or RM10,000, whichever is higher, if found guilty.
Deputy public prosecutor Mahadi Abdul Jumaat appeared for the prosecution, while the accused was represented by counsel Dir Kheizwan Kamaruddin.
Mahadi proposed bail of RM20,000 with one surety but Dir Kheizwan suggested a lower amount saying his client, throughout the investigation, had cooperated well with the MACC.
"His siblings are ready to become a guarantor and I hope the bail amount will be lowered to RM8,000. The accused is married with three children who are still studying and he is also taking care of his mother," he said.
Ghazali set bail at RM12,000 in one surety and allowed additional conditions for the accused to surrender his passport to the court, as well as to report to the state MACC's office at the beginning of each month.
The court set Feb 20 for the next mention.