MELAKA: A former administrative manager of Melaka Halal Hub claimed trial at the Sessions Court here to two charges of accepting insurance commissions amounting to more than RM2,000 as bribes.
The accused Erwan Abdul Aziz, 45, entered the plea after the charges were read before Judge Elesabet Paya Wan on Tuesday (April 14).
Under the first charge, the accused, in his capacity as administrative manager of Melaka Halal Hub Sdn Bhd, was alleged to have used his position to obtain a commission of RM1,096.57.
The commission was allegedly received as an inducement for recommending a quotation from a company owned by his wife, who had been appointed as the insurance agent for the purchase of the company’s fire insurance policy for coverage valued at RM6mil.
Under the second charge, the accused was alleged to have committed a similar offence by receiving a commission of RM1,102.20.
Both the offences were allegedly committed at the company’s office in Jasin on Sept 27, 2022 and Sept 27, 2023.
The charges were framed under Section 23(1) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2009, punishable under Section 24(1) of the same Act, which carries a jail term of up to 20 years and a fine of not less than five times the amount of the bribe or RM10,000, whichever is higher, upon conviction.
Earlier, prosecuting officers Nor Syakila Yaacob and Noor Juliana Yahaya from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) proposed bail at RM20,000 for both charges, together with additional conditions.
Lawyer Ishak Mohd Kari of the National Legal Aid Foundation, representing the accused, appealed for a lower bail on the grounds that his client is self-employed with an unstable income.
The court was also told that the accused also supports his family, including caring for a mother-in-law with cancer, as well as children who are still in school.
The court later granted the accused bail of RM15,000 with one surety and ordered him to report to the MACC, once a month until the end of the proceeding.
The next mention date was fixed on May 14.
