Two contractors acquitted of bribery charge

ALOR SETAR: Two contractors were acquitted by the Special Court for Corruption here yesterday on three counts of receiving and abetting in bribes amounting to RM135,000 on ST15 grade rice quota in 2014.

Judge Zanol Rashid Hussain made the decision on Nor Azamuddin Nor Ahmad, 48, and Farid Idris Khan, 37, after finding the defence had raised reasonable doubt in the prosecution’s case.

He said the decision was made after reviewing all the evidence submitted by the prosecution and the defence.

“The defence also managed to break the element of ‘assumption’ under Section 50 of the Malaysian Anti- Corruption Commission Act 2009. Therefore, the two are freed of all the charges,” he said.

Nor Azamuddin and Farid were charged with accepting RM45,000 on May 4, June 6, and July 2, 2014, respectively from a man with the honorific title of Datuk, who owned DCT Bakery Sdn Bhd.

The offences were alleged to have occurred at 10pm in No: 69, Persiaran KTC 4/3, Kulim Techno City Golf View, Kulim Hi Tech Park in Kulim.

The money was said to have been an inducement for the duo to obtain a quota of 100 metric tonnes of ST15 grade rice from the Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry Ministry for MNS Utara Enterprise and MFM Utara Enterprise for the month of May, June and July 2014.

Farid was charged with abetting Nor Azamuddin.

The MACC deputy public prosecutor was A. Hafiizh Abu Bakar while the two men were represented by counsel Ang Chun Pun. — Bernama