KUALA LUMPUR (March 23): All five graft charges against Bersatu Segambut deputy division chief Adam Radlan Adam Muhammad in relation to the Jana Wibawa programme will be heard in the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court.
During a brief mention before Sessions Court judge Azura Alwi on Thursday (March 23), deputy public prosecutor Maziah Mohaidi informed the court that the prosecution will be applying to transfer the two charges in the Shah Alam Sessions Court to be tried together with the three charges in the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court.
Confirming the matter with The Edge, Adam's counsel Datuk Seri Rajan Navaratnam also said that he did not object to the transfer.
The matter is now fixed for mention on May 29.
The businessman was slapped with five graft charges in different courts last month. They were all in relation to the Jana Wibawa programme, which was introduced in 2020 by then prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, to assist Bumiputera contractors after the Covid-19 pandemic.
On Feb 21, Adam was charged with two graft charges in the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court.
In the first charge, he allegedly solicited a bribe amount of 3.5% to 7% of the total amount of a roadwork project worth RM47.8 million from Mat Jusoh Mamat, who is the managing director of MIE Infrastructure & Energy Sdn Bhd.
In the second charge, he allegedly received RM500,000 in his CIMB Bank account from Jusoh Mamat, as an inducement for helping MIE secure the roadwork project from Jalan Sg Adam to Kg Banat, Perlis.
On Feb 22, Adam was once again pressed with two graft charges, this time in the Shah Alam Sessions Court.
In the first charge, he allegedly received RM2 million in bribes from a Lian Tan Chuan for helping Lian’s company, Nepturis Sdn Bhd, to obtain a contract in the Northern Klang district for its head office from the government worth RM141 million.
The second charge states that Adam allegedly received RM2.1 million from Mat Jusoh for a separate roadwork project from Jalan Sg Adam to Kg Banat, Perlis, which cost RM47.8 million.
Then on Feb 28, Adam was charged with soliciting and asking a bribe from Lian to allegedly to help Nepturis secure a contract for the Klang Utara district police headquarters project worth RM141 million.
All charges are framed under Section 16(a)(a) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009, and punishable under Section 24 of the same Act, which carries up to 20 years' jail, and a fine of not less than five times the amount of the bribe or RM10,000, whichever is higher, upon conviction.
Jana Wibawa, or Program Jana Ekonomi Pemerkasaan Kontraktor Bumiputera Berwibawa, was mooted during the Perikatan Nasional administration, where Bersatu was a component party.
The government of the day said the programme was set up to improve the capacity of Bumiputera contractors in the construction industry, as well as to expedite project execution to spur the nation’s economic recovery post Covid-19.
Investigations into the Jana Wibawa programme have led to the charging of some Bersatu leaders in recent weeks, including former prime minister and Bersatu president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and Tasek Gelugor Member of Parliament Datuk Wan Saiful Wan Jan.