Hamzah’s ex-aide charged again for soliciting bribes

SHAH ALAM: Former political secretary to Opposition leader Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin has been charged at the Sessions Court for graft involving RM350,000 linked to a tender with the police force.

Sayed Amir Muzzakkir Al Sayed Mohamad, 42, pleaded not guilty after the charge was read out to him before Sessions Court judge Awang Kerisnada Awang Mahmud.

“I understand. I claim trial,” he said here on Friday (May 24).

According to the charge sheet, Sayed Amir was charged with soliciting a RM350,000 bribe from Nexuscorp Group Sdn Bhd managing director Wan Azhar Mohamed Yusof.

The monies were said to be an inducement for the accused to help the company obtain a tender to maintain and supply the spare parts for the infrastructure, server, software and RMPNET radio system for the Royal Malaysia Police, worth RM381,112,042.44.

The offence was allegedly committed at Nexuscorp office at Jalan Keluli 7/109, Seksyen 7, here at 4pm in December, 2020.

Sayed Amir was charged with bribing under Section 16(a)(A) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009 and faces a maximum of 20 years imprisonment and a fine of no less than five times the amount of gratification or RM10,000, whichever is higher, upon conviction.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Fatin Farhana Ismail informed the court that the accused was allowed a RM60,000 bail in one surety by the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court on Thursday (May 23) where he faced another related charge.

She said the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court compounded the accused’s passport and imposed additional conditions on him whereby he must stay away from the witnesses and report himself to the MACC office each month.

“If the accused is allowed bail in this case (before the Shah Alam Sessions Court), we seek for the bail amount and conditions from the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court to be applicable in this case,” she said.

The prosecution also applied for the case to be transferred to the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court for a joint trial.

Sayed Amir’s lawyer Md Yunos Shariff said the defence agreed with the prosecution’s requests.

On Thursday, Sayed Amir pleaded not guilty to two counts of receiving RM100,000 and RM250,000 bribes for the same purpose.

The case is fixed for mention on July 12.