Assistant engineer pleads not guilty to 146 bribery charges

An assistant engineer pleaded not guilty to 146 charges of accepting bribes amounting to RM183,500. Saifol Nizam Mat Zin, 49, who works in the District Development Department of the Kerian District and Land Office, entered his plea at the Ipoh Sessions Court. The alleged offenses occurred between January 3, 2022, and October 11, 2023.

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He has pleaded not guilty to 146 charges of accepting bribes totaling RM183,500.

The charges state that the father of three allegedly received money deposited by individuals with whom he had official dealings into his bank account. He then withdrew the funds in cash. These actions are punishable under Section 165 of the Penal Code, which carries a penalty of up to two years in prison or a fine, or both.

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (SPRM) prosecutor initially proposed bail of RM146,000 for all charges, along with additional conditions. These included surrendering his passport, not interfering with prosecution witnesses, and reporting to the SPRM office monthly. However, the defense lawyer argued for a reduced bail amount, citing the accused's monthly income of RM6,000 and his responsibility to support three school-going children, as well as existing housing and car loan commitments.

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The accused allegedly received money that was deposited by individuals known to have work relations into a bank account, which was then withdrawn in cash by the accused.

Judge Meor Sulaiman Ahmad Tarmizi granted bail at RM50,000 for all charges. He also ordered the accused to surrender his passport to the court and refrain from disturbing prosecution witnesses. The next court date for document submission is set for August 26.

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My client has three school-going children and has commitments for his house and car.