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BUTTERWORTH: A businessman today pleaded not guilty in Butterworth Sessions Court to a bribery charge of RM615,000 to “settle” a Bukit Aman case involving someone else last year.
Chan Eng Leong, 46, was charged with soliciting $ 150,000 and accepting bribes in its ringgit equivalent from Goh Choon Kim between March 30 and March 31, 2019, at approximately 5 p.m., at the Vangohh Eminent’s office. Hotel in Machang Bubok, Bukit Mertajam.
Chan was also accused of accepting RM615,000 from Goh at the Global Tobacco Manufacturers Sdn Bhd office in Machang Bubok on April 1, 2019.
The sum was reportedly paid to “settle” a Bukit Aman investigation into Goh Kim Heong under the Security Offenses (Special Measures) Act 2012 (Sosma).
Chan was charged with two counts of bribery under section 16 (a) (A) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2009, one for soliciting the bribe and one for accepting it.
The charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of up to five times the reward sought, upon conviction.
Deputy Prosecutor Selvaranjini Selvaraja requested that bail be set at RM300,000 and a court order for the accused not to contact witnesses in the case.
Chan’s attorney, RSN Rayer, requested a lower bond. He said his client had never contacted anyone since February when the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) arrested him and he had posted bail of RM30,000.
Sessions’ judge, Ahmad Azhari Abdul Hamid, offered bail of RM250,000 with two guarantees and ordered Chan to surrender his passport.
Azhari pinned the mention of October 23 and also ordered Chan to report to the MACC office once a month. Chan later posted bail.
