PETALING JAYA: Former Johor Bahru mayor Datuk Adib Azhari Daud had pleaded not guilty to 12 charges of bribery, for allegedly accepting RM1.55 million in bribes between 2020 and 2021.
The New Straits Times reported the former Johor Baru City Council (MBJB) mayor entering the plea before Sessions Court judge Siti Noraida Sulaiman.
Adib is accused of accepting bribes between RM10,000 and RM250,000 from two individuals through a middleman, said to be rewards in securing construction projects.
The bribes had taken place June 26, 2020, and Aug 6, 2021, in Jalan Serama 7, in Larkin, Johor.
The charge sheet showed that the bribes were linked to several projects in Johor over a 24-month period which include the annual maintenance of of the “mechanical and electrical pump systems for flood control at Sungai Sengkuang, Sungai Chat, and Sungai Segget,” as quoted.
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Meanwhile, other projects included were the replacing sewer pipes and maintaining public sewer networks over a period of 12 months, maintaining centralised sewer systems, repairing collapsed embankments, maintaining centralised sewage treatment plants and mitigating the Sungai Segget floods for 24 months.
Other contracts include the “annual roadside landscape maintenance and the trimming and felling of trees within the MBJB administrative area,” as quoted.
The 63-year-old was charged under Section 16(a)(B) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009, possibly penalised under Section 24(1) of the same act.
If convicted, Adib will face a jail sentence of 20 years and fined five times the bribe amount or RM10,000, whichever being the higher sum.
Adib’s bail was set by the court at RM120,000 with two local sureties, payable in two installments in line with the King’s birthday on Monday (June 3), which is a public holiday.
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The court also set other conditions which include Adib surrendering his passport, monthly reports to the nearest MACC office and him being prohibited from contacting any witness in the case.
Further mention of Adib’s case has been scheduled for July 3 by the court to “facilitate documents submissions,” as quoted.
Adib was arrested on Saturday (June 1) at the MACC branch in Kluang at around 4pm.
