Vietnamese ‘datuk’ charged with bribery

KUALA LUMPUR: A Vietnamese businesswoman was charged with two counts of bribery amounting to RM350,000 at the sessions court yesterday.

Tran Thi Mai ( pix), 41, who is also known as Datuk Maimunah, is alleged to have offered the money to a middleman, for the release of four Vietnamese fishing boats, which had been detained by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) for trespassing into Malaysian waters.

In the first charge, she claimed trial to offering Muhammad Sani Abdullah RM300,000, to induce Amran Daud, the MMEA director of the Sedili district in Johor, to release three boats.

The offence is alleged to have been committed at Hot Gossip Cafe at Hotel Park Royal, between 6.30pm and 7.30pm on May 2.

For the second charge, she is alleged to have offered the same middleman RM5,000 for the release of another boat.

The offence was allegedly committed at the Pearl Point Mall at about 4pm on May 12.

The charge under Section 16 (b)(B) of the Malaysian AntiCorruption Commission Act 2009 can be punished under Section 24 of the same act, which carries a prison term of not more than 20 years, or a fine of not less than five times the bribe amount.

Sessions judge Madihah Harullah granted bail of RM250,000 with two local sureties and fixed Dec 20 for mention. – by S. Tamarai Chelvi