Man pleads not guilty to bribery

KUALA LUMPUR: A 44-year-old man has pleaded not guilty at the Sessions Court here to allegedly offering a bribe to an assistant land officer as an inducement not to take action against him over illegal land clearing at a forest reserve in Cameron Highlands.

Tan Meng Lee (pic) was accused of offering RM20,000 to Abdul Rahim Sulaiman, 51, who is attached to the Cameron Highlands district and land office.

Tan was allegedly involved in illegal land clearing at the Sungai Terla forest reserve in Kampung Raja and government land at Blue Valley in Ulu Telom, which violated Section 425 of the National Land Code 1965.

Tan was accused of having committed the offence between 4pm and 5.30pm at Blue Valley on Oct 7 last year.

He was charged under Section 17 (b) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act

2009 and faces up to 20 years in jail as well as a fine five times the value of gratification or RM10,000, whichever is higher.

DPP Farah Yasmin Salleh offered a RM10,000 bail, which Tan’s lawyer S. Devanandan did not object to.

Judge Rosbiahanin Arifin then fixed bail at RM10,000 with one surety. The court also fixed Feb 7 for mention.

The Star had previously reported extensively on the issue of illegal land clearing in Cameron Highlands.