Businessman charged again in JanaWibawa graft case

Segambut Bersatu deputy chief Adam Radlan Adam Muhammad was charged again today in the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court with soliciting a bribe of RM2 million related to a JanaWibawa project.

Adam Radlan, 42, who is also a businessman, pleaded not guilty after the charge was read before judge Azura Alwi.

"Understand the charge and request to go to trial," he said.

Adam Radlan was accused of asking for RM2 million in bribes from one Lian Tian Chuan to assist Nepturis Sdn Bhd in obtaining a project under the North Klang District Office in Selangor from the government, valued at RM141 million.

The offence was allegedly committed at a restaurant in Publika, Damansara, around January 2022.

He was charged under Section 16(a)(A) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009 and can be sentenced under Section 24(1) of the same act which provides for a maximum prison term of 20 years and a fine of not less than five times the value of the bribe or RM10,000 or whichever is higher, upon conviction. 

MACC deputy public prosecutor Farah Yasmin Salleh asked the court to adopt the RM300,000 bail with two sureties previously set for the accused in the Shah Alam court.

According to Farah, Adam Radlan was charged in the Shah Alam Sessions Court on Feb 22 for the offence of accepting bribes involving the same project.

"The prosecution will request that the case in the Shah Alam Court and in this court be tried together.

"However, we have not yet received instructions as to whether the case will be tried at the Shah Alam court or the Kuala Lumpur court," said Farah, who was assisted by fellow deputy public prosecutor Natrah Fareha Rahmat.

Lawyer Rajan Navaratnam, representing Adam Radlan, did not object to the bail issue and informed the court of the additional conditions previously given, that his client must report to the MACC office in Putrajaya once a month as well as hand over his passport to the court.
 
Azura then allowed Adam Radlan to use the RM300,000 bail set by the Shah Alam Sessions Court with the same additional conditions. She also set March 23 for re-mention of the case.

On Feb 21, Adam Radlan pleaded not guilty in the Sessions Court to two charges of soliciting and accepting bribes involving the same project. On Feb 22, he pleaded not guilty in the Shah Alam Sessions Court to two more charges of accepting bribes amounting to RM4.1 million in relation to similar projects.

Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi was previously reported as saying that the implementation of the JanaWibawa project had been suspended for a re-examination of whether the procurement procedure was conducted according to the rules set by the treasury.

Zahid, who is also the rural and regional development minister, said the RM5.7 million project was postponed as there was an element of procurement made through selected tenders or direct negotiations.