A FORMER senior general manager of a construction company who has been charged in the Shah Alam Sessions Court with corruption, was charged in the Sessions Court in Kuala Lumpur today for soliciting bribes amounting to RM112,000 in July 2017.

Chua Shiou Meng, 48, pleaded not guilty after the charge was read out to him before judge Azura Alwi.

He was charged with corruptly soliciting commission of RM50 sen per cubic metre per month, amounting to RM112,000, as inducement for him to not give bad reports on work performance of the company concerned that could result in its contract to be terminated.

The offence was allegedly committed at a restaurant in Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur, in July 2017.

The charge was framed under Section 16(a)(A) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act, which provides for an imprisonment for up to 20 years and a fine of not less than five times the value of the bribe or RM10,000, whichever is higher, upon conviction.

Earlier, deputy public prosecutor from MACC Fadhli Ab Wahab applied for the case to be transferred to the Shah Alam Sessions Court to be tried together with other cases faced by the accused.

The court allowed the application by the prosecution and set April 22 for mention.

On March 22, Chua, represented by lawyers Datuk Krishnan Kesavan Nair and Nik Ahmed Asraf Nik Othman, pleaded guilty to three counts of corruption, involving more than RM200,000. – Bernama, April 12, 2021.