IPOH: A district assistant engineer has claimed trial to 146 corruption charges at the Sessions Court here.
Saifol Nizam Mat Zin, 49, was accused of receiving about RM183,500 without consideration from a contractor linked to his official duties in Kerian district, Parit Buntar, between Jan 3, 2022 and Oct 11, 2023.
He pleaded not guilty to all charges under Section 165 of the Penal Code before Judge Meor Sulaiman Ahmad Tarmizi yesterday.
The accused was also alleged to have withdrawn the money using the contractor’s ATM card over the same period.
If convicted, he faces a maximum jail term of two years or a fine or both.
During proceedings, defence counsel P. Ravee said his client earns about RM6,000 a month and has three schoolgoing children to support.
“He also needs to pay for his home and car loans,” he said, adding that his client’s presence proved that he was not a flight risk.
Ravee also said his client could raise up to RM50,000 for bail, though he would still need to borrow from relatives.
Earlier, Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) prosecuting officer Sharul Azuan Ghazali proposed bail be set at RM1,000 per charge, totalling RM146,000.
Judge Meor Sulaiman set Aug 26 for mention and allowed bail of RM50,000 for all charges with one surety.
The court also ordered Saifol Nizam to report to the MACC office every first week of the month and to surrender his passport.
It further instructed the accused to not communicate with or disturb witnesses until the conclusion of the trial.
