BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN - The Magistrate's Court yesterday has ordered for an inquiry to be conducted to whether a representative could make withdrawals from the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) on behalf of a defendant who has been charged with corruption and his passport impounded.
The defendant, Puah Heng Yew, the E-Map project manager/SPC manager, was charged with four counts of bribing the surveyor general to a total of $7,155.31 as an inducement or reward to vary tender specifications for a government spatial mapping project and submitting SPC's progress payment claims to Ministry of Development between May 2007 and 2008 in respect to the tender.
The offence under section 7(1) Prevention of Corruption Act, Cap 131 carries a fine of $30,000 and 10 years in jail upon conviction.
During the proceedings yesterday, Puah's counsel, Mohd Shazale Salleh, told the court that the defendant should be allowed to return to Malaysia as Puah needed to make EPF withdrawals requiring him to be in Kuala Lumpur.
Mohd Shazale's application before the presiding judge, Chief Magistrate Hj Abdullah Soefri POKSM DSP Hj Abidin, was a four-week adjournment to allow Puah to settle the matter.
However the Deputy Public Prosecutor Aldila Hj Mohd Salleh, objected to the application as there is a flight risk on the grounds that Puah is a foreigner and the seriousness of the charge which is punishable up to 10 years in prison.
The case will be for further mention on May 29, with the result of the inquiry. Source: The Brunei Times
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