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©The
Sun (Used by permission)
by Humayun Kabir
IPOH (Aug25, 2008) : Two Perak executive councillors and three others, including
a former Bota assemblyman, were today charged in two Session Courts with
allegedly receiving bribes over the application for a RM180 million housing
project in Sri Iskandar in Perak Tengah.
The executive councillors are Jamaluddin Mohd Radzi (Entrepreneur Development,
Cooperatives, Agriculture and Trade) and Capt (Rtd) Mohd Osman Mohd Jailu
(Tourism, Human Capital Development and NGOs). Both are from Parti Keadilan
Rakyat.
The others were businessman and former Bota assemblyman Usaili Alias, Perak
Tengah district councillor Zul Hassan and Ruslan Sahat, a technician with the
Perak SEDC (State Economic Development Corporation).
In all, 16 charges were proferred against the accused, some jointly.
The accused were represented by a panel of 13 lawyers, headed by Gurbachan
Singh. The Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) was represented by Senior Prosecuting
Officer Abdul Razak Musa.
The first to be charged before Judge Tan Hooi Leng was technician Ruslan Sahat,
who faced seven counts of corruption involving cash and sex.
The first five involved alleged bribes of between RM400 and RM10,000 from one
Mohamad Imran Abdullah and demand of sex from a woman through Imran. They
occurred between Aug 6 and 11 in the Hotel Excelsior coffeehouse.
These were in return for approving a 90-acre building project in Sri Iskandar
town, an offence under Section 10(a)(aa) of the Anti-Corruption Act 1997.
The sixth charge of an alleged RM2,000 bribe from Imran and a seventh of
demanding sexual favour from a woman through Imran allegedly took place about
8.10pm on Aug 14 at 401, fourth floor of Sri Sayang Apartment (Seaview Agency),
Jalan Batu Feringghi in Penang.
Ruslan pleaded not guilty to the first five charges.
As for the other two charges, Gurbachan argued that the court here has no
jurisdiction to handle them as the alleged offences occurred in Penang and both
cases should be heard in Penang.
Tan fixed RM10,000 bail in one surety, and will deal with the jurisidictional
issue later.
The other cases:
> Jamaluddin was charged jointly with Usaili with receiving RM5,000 from Imran
on Aug 14 2008 about 11.40am at the Perak State secretariat to approve the
building project in Sri Iskandar.
Both pleaded not guilty and were released on a RM8,000 bail each in one surety.
Their case will be mentioned again on Sept 15.
> Usaili also faced four counts of alleged corruption, all from Imran, involving
amounts from RM1,000 to RM9,000 on different dates and at various locations.
He claimed trail and bail was set at RM8,000 in one surety.
> In another court presided by Judge Rasidah Chik, Mohd Osman and Usaili faced
three joint charges.
-- for accepting RM5,000 from Imran about 7.15pm on Aug 16 at Aquarius
Restaurant and Bar, fourth floor at Summit Hotel, Bukit Mertajam in Penang.
-- for asking for RM100,000 at the same place and at the same time for approving
the Sri Iskandar building project.
-- for receiving RM100,000 at about 6.15 pm on Aug 19 2008 at Restoran Kluang
Station Cafe, 1 & 3, Medan Istana 2, Bandar Ipoh Raya.
Gurbachan again argued that the first and second charges allegedly took place in
Penang and are thus outside the jurisdiction of the Ipoh judge.
The judge fixed a bail of RM15,000 in one surety for each of the accused.
> Zul Hassan was charged with asking for sex with a woman from Imran at about
8.10pm on Aug 14 at 401, Fourth floor, Sri Sayang Apartment (Seaview Agency)
Jalan Batu Feringgi in Penang. He claimed trial.
Both judges fixed Sept 15 for re-mention of all the charges, where decisions
will be made on the question of jurisdiction.
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Circular No 304/2008
