KUALA LUMPUR, March 7 — A security company owner pleaded not guilty at the Sessions Court here today to two charges of accepting bribes amounting to RM200,000 to help the man cover up the death of a Bangladeshi worker due to Covid-19 last year.
On both the charges, C Mahenthiran, 51, was alleged to have accepted a bribe amounting to RM200,000 from ice factory owner Wong Huey Tsyr, 51, as an inducement to help avoid action being taken against the man (Wong) and to cover up the foreign worker’s death due to Covid-19.
He was charged with committing the offence in front of a premises in Taman Sri Ehsan and in front of a bank in Kepong here on July 29 and August 3, 2021, respectively.
The charge, under Section 16 (a) (A) of the Malaysian Anti -Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009 and is punishable under Section 24 (1) of the same act, provides 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.
Mahenthiran also pleaded not guilty to two alternative charges, framed under Section 417 of the Penal Code with cheating the victim at the same place, time and date.
He was charged with deceiving Wong, prompting the victim to hand him the money, into believing that he could help Wong avoid action by the police, the Health Ministry and the Ministry of International Trade and Industry over the worker’s death.
Selangor MACC prosecuting officer Mohd Aliff Shaharuzaman offered bail of RM50,000 for all charges and applied for the case facing the accused today to be transferred to the Shah Alam Sessions Court as he had another case which involved the same investigation and witnesses.
Lawyer Datin MA Navamani, representing Mahenthiran, did not object to the prosecution’s application to transfer the case to Shah Alam and asked the court to apply the same bail of RM40,000 as imposed by in the Sessions Court there.
“Throughout the investigation, my client cooperated with the authorities and the case today is related to the case in the Shah Alam Sessions Court and his passport has also been handed over to the court,” the lawyer said.
Judge Suzana Hussin allowed the accused to apply the same bail of RM40,000 and ordered the case to be transferred to the Shah Alam Sessions Court.
She set March 25 for mention.
On February 25, Mahenthiran pleaded not guilty in the Shah Alam Sessions Court to 16 charges of accepting bribes amounting to RM630,000 to cover the death of a Bangladeshi worker due to Covid-19. — Bernama
