Shamsul, 51, and Tei, 37, pleaded not guilty after the charges were read to them separately before judge Nasir Nordin.

Shamsul was accused of receiving the sum in rent payments from Tei as an inducement to assist firms in which Tei had an interest, to obtain approval for mineral exploration licences in Sabah.

The money was allegedly deposited into a CIMB account belonging to a woman named Rahmalidya Buyong between Nov 28, 2023 and Sept 23, 2024, at the bank’s branch in Country Heights, Kajang.

Tei was charged with giving the bribes to Shamsul.

The charge against Shamsul was framed under Section 17(a) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2009, while Tei was charged under Section 17(b) of the same Act.

Tei was represented by Eric Paulsen, Mahajoth Singh, N Surendran and Rajesh Nagarajan while Amer Hamzah Arshad acted for Shamsul.

Deputy public prosecutors Farah Ezlin Yusop Khan and Nurul Qistini Qamarul Abrar handled the prosecution for both cases.

Nasir granted the prosecution’s request for the same bail terms and conditions set at the Kuala Lumpur sessions court for the previous graft charges against Shamsul and Tei.

Shamsul was granted bail of RM15,000 with two sureties while Tei was granted bail of RM70,000 with two sureties.