IPOH: A district assistant engineer from Kerian has been slapped with 146 corruption charges at the Sessions Court.
Saifol Nizam Mat Zin, 49, pleaded not guilty to all the charges under Section 165 of the Penal Code, which were read before Judge Meor Sulaiman Ahmad Tarmizi here on Thursday (June 25).
Saifol Nizam was said to have received about RM183,500 without consideration from a contractor who has a connection with his official duties in the district, from Jan 3, 2022, to Oct 11, 2023.
He was also said to have withdrawn the money from a bank using the contractor's Automated Teller Machine card during the entire period of time.
If convicted, he could face a jail term of up to two years or a fine or both.
During the proceedings, Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) prosecuting officer Sharul Azuan Ghazali requested bail of RM1,000 for each charge, amounting to RM146,000.
He also requested the accused to report to the MACC office here in the first week of the month and to surrender his passport to the court until the case is completed.
Lawyer P. Ravee, who represented the accused, said his client earns about RM6,000 a month and has three schoolgoing children under his care.
"He also needs to pay for his home and car loans.
"His attendance at the court without remand proves he is not a flight risk," said Ravee.
Ravee said the bail amount suggested by Sharul Azuan was beyond his client's capability and would have a "crushing" effect on him.
"We hope that it can be about RM50,000, which is still a high amount and needed to borrow from relatives," he added.
Meor Sulaiman set Aug 26 for mention and bail at RM50,000 for all charges with one surety.
He also ordered the accused to report to the MACC office here every first week of the month and to surrender his passport to the court.
Saifol Nizam, he added, should also not communicate or disturb the witness of the case
