KUALA LUMPUR – The former political secretary to the Kedah menteri besar has claimed trial to two counts of soliciting and accepting bribes amounting to RM400,000 involving rare earth elements (REE).
Mohamad Hilmi Abdul Wahab, 50, pleaded not guilty to the charges when they were read before judge Suzana Hussin this morning.
He was charged under Section 16(a)(A) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2009, which can be punished under Section 24(1) of the same act.
The section carries a maximum of 20 years’ jail and a fine of not less than five times the amount or value of the bribe if it can be assessed or RM10,000, whichever is higher, upon conviction.
According to the charges, Hilmi had requested and received cash bribes amounting to RM250,000 and RM150,000, respectively, from the REE Mining Group Sdn Bhd director, namely Liana Mamat @ Khalid.
The bribe, which was requested through a man identified as Syed Muhammad Syed Aluvi, was an inducement for Hilmi, who was Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor’s political secretary at the time, to help the mining group get necessary approval regarding REE mining and an exploration licence in Kedah.
The offence was allegedly committed at Sunway Kiara Hills, Jalan 32/70A, Taman Sri Hartamas, here and a restaurant in Desa Sri Hartamas, on July 4 and 11 this year.
Datuk Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin, who led the prosecution, requested that bail be set between RM30,000 and RM60,000, along with additional conditions.
The conditions include that the accused report to the Kedah MACC office, surrender his international passport, and not interfere with the prosecution witness.
In response, Hilmi’s counsel, Syed Naqiuddin Shahab, appealed to the court to set the bail at the minimum amount, claiming that his client is currently unemployed despite being the breadwinner for eight family members, including five still in school, his sick mother, and his parents in law.
Judge Suzana then set bail of RM45,000 for Hilmi with one surety and additional conditions as suggested by the prosecution.
She also set the case for mention on January 12 next year.
Sanusi had given his statement to the MACC in September regarding allegations of corruption and abuse of power in the rare earth elements (REE) mining issue in the state.
On July 19, it was also reported that a senior officer of Kedah Menteri Besar Incorporated and a woman who is a director of a company were arrested by the MACC to assist in the investigation of a corruption case involving more than RM13 million and abuse of power involving the REE mining issue.
Then, on July 20, MACC chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki was reported to have said that MACC had recorded the statements of 12 individuals to assist in the investigation related to the case. – November 20, 2023