FORMER SSDU DIRECTOR FREED ON CHARGE OF ABUSING POSITION

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 30 (Bernama) -- The Shah Alam Sessions Court today acquitted and discharged a former senior officer of a Selangor government subsidiary from a charge of using his position to recommend the direct appointment of a company for a contract worth more than RM1.7 million in March 2020.

Judge Datuk Mohd Nasir Nordin ordered Mazlan Mahadi, 54, to be freed after finding that the prosecution had failed to prove a prima facie in the case at the end of the prosecution's case.

"Based on the testimony of the second prosecution witness, Mohamad Hafiz Hassan, it clearly shows that AWS (Amazon Web Services) recommended the company, MMSC Ventures Sdn Bhd, for the project.

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“Therefore, the accused is acquitted and discharged without being called to defend himself," said the judge.

A total of 14 prosecution witnesses testified during the trial of the case, which began on March 26, 2024.

According to the charge, Mazlan was accused of using his position as Director of Business Development  at Selangor Smart Delivery Unit Innovations Sdn Bhd (SSDU Innovations) to propose MMSC Ventures Sdn Bhd, a company owned by a relative,  for direct appointment for a contract to carry out  Design, Develop, Deploy and Maintain the AWS Landing Zone worth RM1,797,865.58.

The offence was allegedly committed at the SSDU Innovations office in Petaling, on March 25, 2020.

Mazlan was charged under Section 23 of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009,  which provides a maximum imprisonment of 20 years and a fine of not less than five times the value of the bribe or RM10,000, whichever is higher, if convicted.

The prosecution was conducted by Deputy Public Prosecutor Muaz Ahmad Khairuddin, while the accused was represented by lawyers Datuk Seri K. Kumaraendran and Teh See Khoon

-- BERNAMA