FIVE HOSPITAL STAFF CHARGED WITH BRIBERY OVER MORTUARY SERVICES 

SEREMBAN, Dec 5 (Bernama) -- Five staff members of a government hospital pleaded not guilty in the Sessions Court here today to 21 charges of accepting bribes ranging from RM600 to RM2,250 in connection with mortuary services between 2021 and last year.

Assistant medical officer N.S. Sharvinder Singh, 40, and health assistants S. Vickneswari, 55; P. Veeramaly, 50; Mohd Nor Ali, 36; and Wan Mohd Fazlan Shah Shasim, 41, who serve in the forensic department, entered their pleas when the charges were read separately before Judge Meor Sulaiman Ahmad Tarmizi.

They were accused of accepting bribes amounting to between RM600 and RM2,250 through online transfers into their bank accounts from two business owners providing mortuary management services. The payments were purportedly made as rewards for supplying information on deaths and the next of kin of the deceased from the hospital.

The offences were allegedly committed between June 5, 2021 and Feb 9, 2023 at several bank branches in Seremban, Kuala Pilah and Mantin. The charges fall under Section 16(a)(B) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009 and punishable under Section 24(1) of the same Act.

If convicted, the accused face a maximum of 20 years’ imprisonment and a fine of no less than five times the value of the bribes or RM10,000, whichever is higher.

The prosecution was led by MACC Deputy Public Prosecutor Fatin Nur Athirah Zainudin, while the accused were represented by different lawyers: G. Visanathan for Sharvinder Singh; Paul Krishnaraja for Vickneswari and Veeramaly; and Datuk Hanif Hassan for Mohd Nor and Wan Mohd Fazlan Shah.

Earlier, Fatin Nur Athirah requested the court to impose bail ranging from RM8,000 to RM20,000 with one surety each, along with additional conditions requiring the accused to report to the state MACC office monthly and surrender their passports to the court.

The defence lawyers sought lower bail amounts, citing their clients’ low civil service grades (U32, U14, and U11), modest incomes and family responsibilities. They also argued that the bribes received were relatively small.

Meor Sulaiman set bail at RM10,000 for Sharvinder Singh, RM6,000 for Vickneswari, RM4,000 for Veeramaly, RM5,000 for Mohd Nor, and RM3,000 for Wan Mohd Fazlan Shah, with one surety each. The court also required the accused to report to the MACC office on the first Saturday of every month.

Case mention was fixed for Jan 9.

-- BERNAMA