KUALA LUMPUR: The Department of Environment (DOE) director-general Datuk Wan Abdul Latiff Wan Jaffar has claimed trial at the Sessions Court to a charge of bribery involving RM100,000 linked to a proposed road project in Penang.
The 59-year-old pleaded not guilty after the charge was read out before Sessions Court judge Suzana Hussin here on Friday (April 3).
"Understood, not guilty," he said when asked for his plea.
According to the charge sheet, Wan Abdul Latiff was accused of corruptly receiving a RM100,000 bribe from Sunrich Conquest Sdn Bhd director Khor Chong Hai, through one Lee Ham Kong, who is a project manager at the same company, as an inducement for him to consider the exemption of an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report on a proposed road project in Penang.
The proposed road project involved a plot of government land on Jalan Bukit Kukus, Paya Terubong in Penang.
Wan Abdul Latiff allegedly committed the offence at his office at the DOE in Putrajaya on Jan 15.
He was charged under Section 16(a) (B) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) 2009.
The accused faced imprisonment of up to 20 years and a fine of no less than five times the amount of gratification or RM10,000, whichever is higher, upon conviction.
Deputy public prosecutor Datuk Ahmad Akram Gharib proposed bail at RM100,000 and told the court that the accused was a flight risk.
Wan Abdul Latiff's lawyer Mohd Firdaus Ahmad, however, sought a lower amount between RM20,000 and RM30,000.
He said his client has three children who are still studying with two of them enrolled in universities and his wife is a housewife.
"My client is not a flight risk as he had cooperated with the authorities. He was remanded on Jan 29 and released on Feb 3 and yet he still returned to the MACC to give his statement on March 2," Mohd Firdaus said.
Judge Suzana then fixed bail at RM40,000 in one surety and ordered the accused to surrender his passport to the court pending the disposal of the case.
The court set May 7 for case mention.
