JOHOR BARU, Feb 22 — A 65-year-old businessman today claimed trial to nine bribery charges for accepting bribes of RM12.875 million in relation with the government’s Jana Wibawa programme back in 2022, at the Sessions Court here.

Datuk Teo Wee Cheng pleaded not guilty after the charges were read out to him in Mandarin at the sessions court here before judge Datuk Ahmad Kamal Arifin Ismail.

The accused, who is a director of SSH Furniture Sdn Bhd, was charged with receiving bribes related to a bypass road upgrading project from Jalan Sawah Baru to Tenang Stesyen in Segamat and a road project from Kampung Belukar Durian to Felda Waha in Sedili, Kota Tinggi.

According to the facts of the case, the bribes were allegedly rewards for helping Syarikat Muar Usaha Bakti Sdn Bhd to secure the project, as well as for Syarikat Liku Prestasi Sdn Bhd who obtained the project in Kota Tinggi to appoint Syarikat TS Dynamic Construction Sdn Bhd as a subcontractor.

The act was allegedly committed by Teo at Trimetro Development Sdn Bhd, Jalan Majidi in Muar between July 2021 and May to June 2022.

Teo was also charged with accepting bribes amounting to RM1.5 million for the project to upgrade the bypass road from Jalan Sawah Baru to Tenang Stesyen in Segamat and for the road project from Kampung Belukar Durian to Felda Waha Junction in Sedili, Kota Tinggi.

The bribes were as a reward for Teo in helping Syarikat Muar Usaha Bakti Sdn Bhd to secure the project in Segamat as well as an incentive for agreeing to appoint Syarikat TS Dynamic Construction Sdn Bhd as a subcontractor.

The offences were allegedly committed at Teo’s company in the Pagoh Industrial Estate in Muar between August 20, 2021 and November 15, 2022.

All the charges were framed in accordance with Section 16(a)((A) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009, which is punishable under Section 24(1) of the same Act.

If found guilty, the accused can be imprisoned for up to 20 years and fined not less than five times the amount of the bribe or RM10,000 whichever is higher.

The prosecution was represented by the MACC legal and prosecution division’s deputy director Ahmad Akram Gharib and the agency’s deputy public prosecutor Chan Choon Yew, while Cains Tan represented Teo.

Ahmad Kamal allowed Teo bail at RM500,000 with one surety and the additional condition of surrendering his passport.

He also set May 17 as the next date for the case mention and submission of documents.

Earlier, Teo, a Johor-based businessman, arrived at the court compound here at 9.30am and was accompanied by MACC officers.

It is believed that the case is linked to the MACC probe on allegations that several contractors had allegedly deposited RM300 million into the Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia's party account.

Yesterday, Bersatu's information chief Datuk Wan Saiful Wan Jan and deputy division chief Adam Radlan Adam Muhammad both claimed trial in the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court to corruption charges related to the Jana Wibawa programme.

Earlier today, Adam Radlan claimed trial to two more bribery charges in the same court.

Jana Wibawa was introduced during the administration of the former prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who is also Bersatu president, to speed up project implementation and improve the country's economy during the Covid-19 pandemic.