KUCHING: A former board member of an oil palm fertiliser company was acquitted and discharged by the Sessions Court today (Dec 9) of four counts of bribery involving RM160,000.
Sessions Court Judge Steve Ritikos ruled that the prosecution failed to establish a prima facie case against the 72-year-old accused.
The first charge alleged that the accused, a civil servant with the rank of board member, accepted RM20,000 from a bank in Satok on Sept 23, 2013. The payment was reportedly made by a ‘Datuk’ affiliated with a company.
For the second to fourth charges, the accused was alleged to have accepted RM140,000 from the same bank in January, February, and May 2014.
All charges were brought under Section 165 of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum penalty of two years in prison, a fine, or both, upon conviction.
The prosecution called 21 witnesses during the trial.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Law Chin How led the prosecution, while Roger Chin represented the accused.
