SHAH ALAM, Feb 22 — Segambut Bersatu deputy chief Adam Radlan Adam Muhammad today claimed trial to two more bribery charges at the Sessions Court here, just a day after being slapped with similar charges in Kuala Lumpur.
The 42-year-old businessman was accused of receiving RM2 million through the CIMB bank account of Bayu Bumiraya, a company in which he is a director, from one Lian Tan Chuan as an incentive to assist Nepturis Sdn Bhd to obtain a government project in the North Klang district valued at RM141 million.
He was accused of committing the offence at a CIMB branch at the Jaya One shopping centre in Petaling Jaya, Selangor between April 4 last year and January 5 this year.
In the second charge, Adam Radlan was also accused of receiving RM2.1 million through the same account from one Mat Jusoh Mamat who is the managing director of MIE Infrastructure & Energy Sdn Bhd.
The money was alleged to help MIE Infrastructure & Energy Sdn Bhd to obtain a government road construction project in Perlis valued at RM47.8 million.
Both charges are framed under Section 16(a)(A) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2009.
If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in jail and a maximum fine of not less than five times the amount of the bribe or RM10,000, whichever is higher, upon conviction.
Adam Radlan was represented by lawyer Datuk Seri Rajan Navaratnam while Allan Suman Pillai and Maziah Mohaide from the MACC prosecuted.
Allan proposed bail at RM500,000 with two sureties for each charge to make sure the accused turns up for all his court proceedings.
He said although the accused is not flight risk, he argued that the bail requirements are reasonable considering the total amount of bribery involved is RM4.1 million
Rajan argued that the amount was too high and asked that it be lowered to RM300,000 for both charges.
He said Adam Radlan had given his full cooperation during investigations and had made sure to return from a trip to report to the MACC on February 10.
The defence lawyer noted that Bersatu information chief Datuk Wan Saiful Wan Jan who was yesterday charged with similar offences at the Sessions Court in Kuala Lumpur was allowed bail at only RM400,000, even though the charges against him totalled RM6.9 million.
Judge Rozilah Salleh set bail at RM300,000 with two sureties for each charge.
She also ordered Adam Radlan to report to the MACC in Putrajaya every month and to surrender his passport to the court in Shah Alam if the charges in the Sessions Court in Kuala Lumpur were dropped.
She set the next mention of his case on April 14.
Adam Radlan was charged with two counts of bribery at the Sessions Court in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.
Deputy public prosecutor Allan later told Malay Mail that the charges against Adam Radlan today are related to the government’s Jana Wibawa scheme.
“Correct, both charges are related to the government's Jana Wibawa programme,” he said when contacted.
The Jana Wibawa scheme, or its Malay name in full “Program Jana Ekonomi Pemerkasaan Kontraktor Bumiputera Berwibawa”, was introduced by the Muhyiddin administration, and aimed at improving the capacity of Bumiputera contractors in the construction sector to be more resilient and competitive and speed up their projects to spur the nation’s economic recovery post Covid-19 pandemic.
However, Deputy Prime Minister I Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi announced on February 15 that the government now led by Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as prime minister will postpone the RM5.7 billion worth of rural development projects under the Jana Wibawa scheme.
Zahid said the postponement was to review whether they were awarded in accordance with procurement process and governance requirements set by the Treasury.
