Couple charged with bribery

Kota Kinabalu: A woman was charged with six counts of using her position to obtain bribes while her husband was charged with two counts of abetting with her.

Hanidah Md Ja’afar, 44, and Ismail Tahir, 47, pleaded not guilty separately before Sessions Court Judge Abu Bakar Manat, to the charges against them on Tuesday.

On the first count, Hanidah who is Assistant Accountant at the State Education Department, had been given authority on a claim by Abdul Karim Abdul Rahman amounting to RM6,850.50 dated Apr 15, 2014 where she allegedly used her position to order Supervisor Officer Mohd Farisiddy Frizam Ismail to change the claimant account number to Hanidah’s account number, so that she will receive the payment.

On the second count, she was accused of using her position to order Supervisor Officer Mar Dewi Yuhana Leonard to change the account number of Syarikat Era Packing & Forwarding Sdn Bhd to an account number that belonged to Syarikat Saputri in which the company was registered under Roslee Tahir who is Hanidah’s brother-in law.

 Ismail is seen after the proceedings.

The claim dated Sept 18, 2014 amounted to RM11,900.

On the third count, Hanidah allegedly used her position to order Supervisor Officer Siti Samsiah Murad to change the account number of Syarikat Bumeria Cemerlang Freight Sdn Bhd to an account number that belonged to Saujana Mega Enterprise which was registered under Dayang Nazibah Asbah who is Handiah’s niece.

The claim dated Sept 23, 2014 amounted RM8,900.

On the fourth count, Hanidah was accused of using her position to change the account number of Syarikat Speedcast Malaysia Sdn Bhd which claimed about RM5,003.29 dated Dec 31, 2011, to an account number that belonged to Syarikat NZ Enterprise which was registered under Md Nor Nazri Asbah who is Hanidah’s nephew and she received RM1,000 from her action.

On the fifth and sixth count, she allegedly used her position to order Supervisor Officer Siti Samsiah Murad to change the account number of Syarikat Speedcast Malaysia Sdn Bhd which RM39,468 claim dated Aug 31, 2012, and RM46,644 claim dated June 30, 2012, to an account number that belonged to Syarikat Saputri which was registered under the name Roslee Tahir who is Hanidah’s brother-in law.

The charges of the fifth and sixth count stated that due to Hanidah’s action, her husband Ismail Tahir received the payment of the claims.

The offences allegedly took place between Sept 18, 2014 and June 30, 2015 at Wisma Jabatan Pendidikan Negeri Sabah.

She was charged under Section 23(1) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009 and punishable under Section 24(1) of the Act which provides for a jail term of up to 20 years, and a fine of not less than five times the amount involved or RM10,000, whichever is higher.

Meanwhile, on the first and second counts, her husband Ismail, is accused of abetting with Hanidah in changing the account number of Syarikat Speedcast Malaysia Sdn Bhd to an account number that belonged to Syarikat Saputri which was registered under the name Roslee Tahir who is Ismail’s brother.

Ismail allegedly committed the offence on Oct 17, 2014 between 8am and 5pm at the Wisma Pendidikan Negeri Sabah here.

The court set Apr 28 for mention of all the cases and released Hanidah on bail of RM15,000 with RM7,000 deposited in a local surety while Ismail was offered bail of RM10,000 with RM4,000 deposited in a local surety. 

The court also ordered the couple to report to the MACC’s office once in two months and that their passports if any, to be impounded by the court and that they were warned not to tamper with the prosecution witnesses.

Earlier, in asking for bail, counsel Azhier Farhan who defended the couple, informed the court that both his clients are government servants where Hanidah is an assistant accountant while Ismail, a teacher.

Azhier said Hanidah is currently 12 weeks pregnant and that she will be suspended from her job until the disposal of her case.

Azhier said Ismail is a teacher at SK Sembulan and that he had been a teacher for 23 years. 

He also told the court that the couple has four children and a bedridden mother to look after.

MACC Prosecuting Officer Rekhraj Singh appeared for the prosecution.