KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court here today dismissed an application by former federal territories minister Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor to set aside the order for him to surrender his passport to the court by increasing the bail amount.
Judge Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali, in dismissing the application, upheld the decision of the Sessions Court to impose bail of RM500,000 on Tengku Adnan, 69, and for him to surrender his passport to the court pending the disposal of his case.
Nazlan said the Putrajaya MP, who was accompanied by his four children in court today, could apply for the temporary return of his passport if he had to travel overseas.
“The bail of RM500,000 and the additional condition to surrender his passport to the court is upheld,” he said when the case came up for first mention at the court since its transfer from the Sessions Court.
When submitting the application earlier, lawyer Tan Hock Chuan, representing Tengku Adnan, said his client had to travel often to Australia to visit his daughters, aged 13 and 18, who were studying there. He said Tengku Adnan also had to travel to Indonesia for business.
Tan said Tengku Adnan suggested that his bail amount be increased from RM500,000 to RM1 million, adding that he was prepared to report himself to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) office every month if need be.
“My client and his wife often visit their children in Australia. My client is also no longer working with the government and he has to handle his business overseas. He is not a flight risk and has given his cooperation to MACC,” he added.
Tengku Adnan maintained his plea of not guilty to accepting a bribe and an alternative charge of accepting a bribe of RM1 million, allegedly for the approval of an application by a company to raise the development related ratio in Jalan Semarak, Kuala Lumpur in 2013.
He was charged with corruptly receiving for himself RM1 million from Tan Eng Boon via a Public Bank cheque belonging to Pekan Nenas Industries Sdn Bhd which was deposited into a CIMB Bank account belonging to him.
This was as a reward for himself for approving an application by Nucleus Properties Sdn Bhd (now known as Paragon City Development Sdn Bhd) to raise the plot ratio pertaining to development at Lot 228, Jalan Semarak, here.
He was charged under Section 16 (a)(A) of the MACC Act with committing the offence at the Putra World Trade Centre branch of CIMB Bank Bhd, Jalan Tun Ismail here on Dec 27, 2013.
If found guilty, he faces imprisonment of up to 20 years and a fine of not less than five times the amount or value of the bribe or RM10,000, whichever is higher.
He also faces an alternative charge in his capacity as federal territories minister of receiving for himself RM1 million from Tan via a Public Bank cheque belonging to Pekan Nenas Industries Sdn Bhd which was deposited into his CIMB account, knowing that Tan, as a director of Nucleus Properties Sdn Bhd, had connections with his official duties.
The offence, under Section 165 of the Penal Code which provides a jail term of up to two years, fine or both upon conviction, was allegedly committed at the same place, time and date.
The court set Feb 28 for next mention.