E-WASTE COMPANY AGENT PLEADS NOT GUILTY TO RM50,000 BRIBERY CHARGE

SEREMBAN, Jan 23 (Bernama) -- An agent of an electronic waste (e-waste) disposal company pleaded not guilty at the Sessions Court here today to a charge of offering a RM50,000 bribe to a Department of Environment (DOE) officer last year.

Soon Kei Chong, 40, entered the plea after the charge was read out before Judge N. Kanageswari.

According to the charge, he is accused of offering RM50,000 in cash to a 45-year-old senior environmental control officer with the DOE as an inducement to refrain from taking legal action against him.

The alleged offence followed suspicions that the accused had breached the Environmental Quality Act 1974 (Act 127), including operating without a prescribed premises licence, lacking written authorisation from the Director-General, failing to obtain approval for an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report, and placing scheduled waste at non-designated premises.

The offence was allegedly committed at about 1pm on Jalan Zamrud in the Nilai Industrial Area on Feb 12 last year. The charge was brought under Section 17(b) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009 (Act 694), punishable under Section 24(1) of the same Act.

If convicted, he faces up to 20 years’ imprisonment and a fine of no less than five times the value of the bribe or RM10,000, whichever is higher.

MACC deputy public prosecutor Muaz Ahmad Khairuddin sought bail of RM20,000 with two additional conditions: that the accused report monthly to an MACC office and surrender his passport to the court pending the conclusion of the case.

Defence counsel Azrul Zulkifli Stork agreed to the amount and conditions, but informed the court that his client does not possess an international passport.

The court set bail at RM20,000 with the condition that the accused report monthly to the nearest MACC office, and fixed March 6 for mention to submit documents.

-- BERNAMA