GEORGE TOWN: A chartered arbitrator pleaded not guilty at the Sessions Court here to soliciting a RM6mil bribe from a businessman.
Yusof Holmes Abdullah, 69, denied soliciting the money by sending an e-mail to Goh Nai Kooi @ Goh Mai Kwai at the latter’s house in Jalan Sri Bahari here between Aug 1 and Sept 30, 2012.
He is alleged to have asked for the bribe as an inducement to rule in favour of JMR Construction Sdn Bhd in an arbitration matter with Syarikat Nanjing Changjiang Waterway Engineering Bureau. An arbitrator is akin to a judge in a civil litigation.
The disputes, usually involving millions of ringgit, revolve around contracts for engineering, construction and mechanical and electrical works.
Arbitral awards handed down here are enforceable in 148 countries, including Malaysia. In the same packed courtroom, businessman Datuk Siaw Teck Hwa, 59, was charged with abetting Yusof at the same place and date. He too pleaded not guilty.
The offences under Section 16(a)(A) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act carries a jail term of not more than 20 years, a fine of five times the amount involved, or both upon conviction.
DPP Hanim Mohd Rashid proposed bail of RM1mil each as the charges involved a large sum. Yusof’s counsel Raj Shanker sought for bail to be set at RM50,000, saying the accused had fully cooperated with the investigation.
Raj Shanker told the court that Yusof, who is British, married a Malaysian and has been a permanent resident in the country for over 35 years.
Siaw’s counsel Zainal Fikri also appealed for a lower bail, saying that his client was middle-aged and had health problems.
Sessions judge Zulhazmi Abdullah allowed bail of RM50,000 with two Malaysian sureties each, and ordered that the passports of the accused be withheld. He fixed July 31 for mention.
Source : The Star
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