SEREMBAN: Five civil servants working in the forensic department of a hospital here were charged today at the Sessions Court for receiving bribes from a company involved in funeral management services since 2021.
The accused are medical assistant NS Sharvinder Singh, 40; healthcare assistants S Vickneswari, 55; P Veeramaly, 50; Mohd Nor Ali, 36; and Wan Mohd Fazlan Shah Shasim, 41.
All pleaded not guilty after the charges were read out separately before Judge Meor Sulaiman Ahmad Tarmizi.
They are charged as public officials, medical assistant U32 and healthcare assistants U14 and U11, in the forensic department of the hospital.
All the accused allegedly received bribes amounting to between RM600 and RM2,250 through online transactions to their bank accounts.
The bribes were allegedly received from two individuals, who are also the owners of a company involved in funeral management services, as payment for providing death information and the deceased's details at the hospital to the individuals in question.
The offences took place at various banks in Seremban, Kuala Pilah, and Mantin, between June 5, 2021, and Feb 9, 2023.
The accused were charged under Section 16(a)(B) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009, which carries a penalty under Section 24(1) of the same act.
If convicted, the accused face imprisonment of up to 20 years, a fine of at least 15 times the value of the bribe, or RM10,000, whichever is higher.
The prosecution was represented by deputy public prosecutor Fatin Nur Athirah Zainudin, while lawyers G Visanathan represented Sharvinder Singh, Paul Krishnaraja represented Vickneswari and Veeramaly, and Datuk Hanif Hassan represented Mohd Nor and Wan Mohd Fazlan Shah.
The court granted bail of RM10,000 for Sharvinder Singh, RM6,000 for Vickneswari, RM4,000 for Veeramaly, RM5,000 for Mohd Nor, and RM3,000 for Wan Mohd Fazlan Shah.
They were also ordered to report to the nearest MACC office on the first Saturday of each month.
The case was scheduled for mention on Jan 9, 2024 for the submission of documents.