Sime Darby GM charged with graft

A general manager of Sime Darby Holdings Berhad was charged Friday in the Sessions Court here with accepting two cheques for a total of RM99,000 as a bribe from an investor two years ago.

Zamri Mohd Iderus, 39, general manager for marine/business and investment development/international projects, pleaded not guilty to the charges read out to him before Judge Azhaniz Teh Azman Teh.

On the first charge, Zamri is alleged to have accepted the bribe - two cheques for RM50,000 and RM49,000 - from one Kamarudin Hussin at the Warung Junction of The Summit Hotel at Persiaran Kewajipan, USJ 1, UEP Subang Jaya, at about 8pm on Nov 7, 2008.

The bribe was to have been an inducement for him to provide information on the bidding price for Syarikat Arrow Platform (M) Sdn Bhd to acquire a sub-contract job for architectural works worth RM14.4mil and a sub-contract job for copper nickel piping works from Sime Darby Engineering.

Sime Darby's Zamri Mohd Iderus being escorted by police after being charged at the Shah Alam sessions court. - Starpic by K.K. Sham

Zamri was charged under Section 11(a) of the Anti-Corruption Act 1997 and is liable to be penalised under Section 16 of the same act which provides for a jail sentence of a minimum 14 days and a maximum 20 years and a fine of up to five times the amount of bribe or RM10,000, whichever is higher, upon conviction.

He was also charged with using his position to secure a direct profit, that is accepting the two cheques for a total of RM99,000, from Kamarudin for divulging information on the bid without the approval of the Sime Darby Engineering management at Kompleks Sime Darby, Persiaran Kewajipan, USJ 7 Subang Jaya in the middle of November 2008.

For this offence, he was charged under Section 132(2)(b) of the Companies Act 1965 and is liable to be penalised under Section 132(3) of the same act which provides for a maximum jail term of five years or a RM30,000 fine, upon conviction.

Judge Azhaniz Teh allowed Zamri to be released on RM10,000 bail in one surety and ordered him to surrender his passport to the court.

The court set Sept 28 for mention of the case.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Kevin Morais of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) appeared for the prosecution while Zamri was represented by counsel Jason Tay. - Bernama