KUALA LUMPUR: The former chief executive officer of the Companies Commission of Malaysia (CCM) Datuk Zahrah Abd Wahab Fenner pleaded not guilty in the sessions court here today, to 33 charges of bribery, abuse of power and abetment, involving RM5.7 million and in connection with CCM programmes.
Her son, Abdulazeez Wan Ruslan, 33, a businessman, also pleaded not guilty to two charges of bribery and two charges of abetting his mother, involving RM160,000, between 2017 and 2018.
The pair was charged under the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2009 with punishment comprising imprisonment of a maximum of 20 years, and a fine of not less than five times the total amount received in bribes.
In addition, Abdulazeez was charged under section 109 of the Penal Code, to be read together with section 165 of the same code.
All 33 charges against Zahrah, 60, relate to offences committed between 2015 and 2019. In the first to 28th charge, the former CEO is alleged to have received bribes amounting to RM5.2 million from an individual called Ramulianto Mohram through another individual, Mohamad Shahren Mohamad Yusri, between December 2015 and March 2019.
In connection with these charges, she is alleged to have received a payment of RM1 million in return for approving an application to organise CCM’s Online Networking Enterpreneurs 2015 programme in Sarawak, Sabah, Kedah, Kuala Lumpur, Johor Baru, Penang, Pahang, Malacca and Terengganu.
She is also alleged to have received RM1.6 million as payment for approving the appointment of three companies comprising SSJ Niaga, Desa Nirwana and Idea Resources (M) Sdn Bhd in connection with advertising on LED boards in Kedah, Malacca and Perak.
Zahrah is also alleged to have received a payment of RM2 million in return for approving the appointment of three companies comprising lkhlas Padu Sdn Bhd, Desa Nirwana Sdn Bhd and SSJ Niaga in connection with the renewal of terms and conditions concerning advertising on LED boards in Johor, Melaka and Kedah for a one-year period.
Two other allegations comprise receiving RM400,000 in return for approving an application to organise the CCM Youngpreneurs, Go! (YPGo) carnival at Universiti Malaysia Perlis, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, Universiti Kuala Lumpur, Universiti Tenaga Nasional Pahang, Universiti Malaysia Sabah and Politeknik Kota Bharu; and receiving RM200,000 in return for approving the appointment of Marikaya Enterprise to organise CCM’s 2018 Bizfair in Sabah.
All these offences are alleged to have been committed at the CCM office at Menara SSM@Sentral, 30th Floor, No.7, Jalan Stesen Sentral 5, and at the Pastry House, 1 Jalan Tasik Utama 3, Medan Niaga Tasik Damai, Lake Fields, Sungai Besi.
The mother and son were released on bail comprising RM300,000 for Zahrah and RM70,000 for Abdulazeez, although MACC deputy public prosecutor Allan Suman Pillai had requested the court for RM1 million in bail for both accused.
Judge Azura Alwi fixed Nov 26 as the next mention for the case, while also ordering that the pair’s passports be surrendered to the court, and that they report to the MACC office in Putrajaya in the first week of every month until the settlement of the case. — Bernama
