The sessions court has ordered former Companies Commission of Malaysia (SSM) CEO Zahrah Abd Wahab Fenner and her son to enter their defence to several charges involving alleged corruption dating back 11 years.
Judge Azura Alwi held that the prosecution had established a prima facie case against Zahrah, 66, on four charges of receiving bribes totalling RM1.21 million, and another four charges of abetting her 40-year-old son, Abdulazeez Wan Ruslan, in the receipt of bribes worth RM160,000.
She was also charged with receiving RM200,000 as a reward for approving the appointment of Marikaya Enterprise to procure event management services for the 2018 Bizfair SSM programme in Sabah.
The charges were framed under Section 17(a) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009, punishable under Section 24(1) of the same Act. Each charge provides for a maximum jail term of 20 years and a fine of not less than five times the amount or value of the bribe involved, or RM10,000, whichever is higher, if convicted.
Judge Azura, however, acquitted Zahrah of 20 other charges, citing the prosecution’s failure to establish a prima facie case. She said, “The prosecution failed to present strong evidence to prove key foundational facts regarding the receipt of bribe money for all 20 charges.”
Picture Courtesy of MalaysiaKini.com
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