Businessperson charged again in Jana Wibawa graft case

Segambut Bersatu deputy chief, Adam Radlan Adam Muhammad, has been charged again in the Session’s Court in Kuala Lumpur today with soliciting a bribe of RM2 million relating to a Jana Wibawa project.

Adam Radlan, 42, who is also a businessman, pleaded not guilty after the charge was read before judge Azura Alwi.

“Understand the charge and request to go to trial,” said the accused in a blue suit.

According to the charge, Adam Radlan (above) was accused of asking for RM2 million in bribe from Lian Tian Chuan as service for the accused to assist Nepturis Sdn Bhd to obtain a project of the North Klang district office in Selangor from the government valued at RM141 million.

The offence was allegedly committed at a restaurant in Publika, Damansara, around January 2022.

He was charged under Section 16(a)(A) of the Malaysia Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009 and can be sentenced under Section 24(1) of the same act which provides for a maximum prison term of 20 years and a fine of not less than five times the value of the bribe or RM10,000 or whichever is higher, upon conviction.

Tried together

MACC deputy public prosecutor Farah Yasmin Salleh requested the court to adopt the RM300,000 bail with two sureties previously set for the accused in the Shah Alam Court.

According to Farah, the accused was charged in the Shah Alam Sessions Court on Feb 22 for the offence of accepting bribes involving the same project (Jana Wibawa).

"The prosecution will request that the case in the Shah Alam Court and in this court be tried together.

"However, we have not yet received instructions as to whether the case will be tried at the Shah Alam Court or the Kuala Lumpur Court," said Farah who was also assisted by another DPP, Natrah Fareha Rahmat.

Lawyer Rajan Navaratnam, who is representing Adam Radlan, did not object to the bail issue and informed the court about the additional conditions given by the court before, namely that his client must report to the MACC office in Putrajaya once a month as well as handing his passport over to the court.

Procurement procedure

Azura then allowed the accused to use the RM300,000 bail set by the Shah Alam Sessions Court earlier along with the same additional conditions besides setting March 23 for the re-mention of the case.

On Feb 21, Adam Radlan pleaded not guilty in the Sessions Court in Kuala Lumpur to two charges of soliciting and accepting bribes involving the same project while on Feb 22, he also pleaded not guilty in the Shah Alam Sessions Court to two more charges of accepting bribes amounting to RM4.1 million in relation to similar projects.

Previously, Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi was reported to have said that the implementation of Jana Wibawa project has been suspended to re-examine whether the procurement procedure had been conducted according to the rules set by the Treasury.

Zahid, who is also rural and regional development minister, said the postponement of the project valued at RM5.7 billion was made because there was an element of the procurement made through selected tenders or direct negotiations.

- Bernama