MELAKA: Former Dewan Negara deputy president Datuk Seri Mohamad Ali Mohamad pleaded not guilty today at the Ayer Keroh Sessions Court to a charge of accepting a luxury vehicle as a bribe in 2015.
Judge Elesabet Paya Wan presided over the hearing where Mohamad Ali denied the accusation of corruptly receiving a Range Rover Sport from a company director. The bribe was allegedly an inducement to award subcontract works for a land reclamation project in Kota Laksamana.
The offence reportedly occurred in June 2015 at the company’s office in Taman Kota Syahbandar, Melaka Tengah. The charge falls under Section 16(a)(A) of the MACC Act 2009, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years’ imprisonment and a fine of at least five times the bribe’s value or RM10,000, whichever is higher.
Deputy public prosecutor Datuk Ahmad Akram Gharib requested the court to retain the bail conditions set by the Shah Alam Sessions Court on June 18, including a RM60,000 bail, passport surrender, and a witness contact ban. He also sought to transfer the Shah Alam case to Ayer Keroh for joint proceedings.
Defence lawyer Md Yunos Shariff did not object, and the court scheduled the next mention for August 14. Mohamad Ali had earlier claimed trial in Shah Alam to 20 charges involving RM235,000 and three luxury cars linked to the same project.
