KUALA LUMPUR (May 25): A businessman known as "Datuk Roy" together with a Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) officer claimed trial to two charges each for soliciting and receiving bribes in return for not investigating former prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s son for alleged wrongdoing linked to the Jana Wibawa programme.

"Datuk Roy", or Mohd Hussein Mohd Nasir, together with the officer Mohd Rasyidi Mohd Said had both pleaded not guilty to the two charges at the Sessions Court on Thursday (May 25) before judge Azura Alwi.

In the joint charges, one charge read out to them is for allegedly soliciting RM400,000 while the second charge is for receiving RM240,000 as an inducement allegedly to not call up Datuk Fakhri Yassin Mahiaddin to the MACC headquarters for investigations into the Jana Wibawa scandal.

This money was allegedly offered to them by a person named Dalena Berhan as an inducement not to remand Fakhri.

The offences were said to have been committed in March this year.

Separately, at another Sessions Court, "Datuk Roy" was slapped with one more charge of soliciting RM2 million as an inducement to lessen businessman Adam Radlan Adam Muhammad’s Jana Wibawa-linked charges, alter witness testimonies against Adam Radlan and decrease his bail.

To this, "Datuk Roy" pleaded not guilty before judge Suzana Hussain.

Adam Radlan, who is also Parti Bersatu deputy division chief for Segambut, was previously charged at the Shah Alam and Kuala Lumpur Sessions Courts with five counts of being involved in RM6.1 million alleged bribes linked to Jana Wibawa.

If "Datuk Roy" and Rasyidi are convicted for any of the cumulative three charges framed under Section 16(a)(A) of the MACC Act 2009 and punishable under Section 24(1) of the same Act, they may be sentenced to a maximum of 20 years in jail, and a fine of not less than five times the amount involved in the offence or RM10,000, whichever is higher.

Earlier on Thursday, Azura allowed for the first case to be transferred to Suzana’s court.

During proceedings at Suzana’s court, she set bail at RM15,000 with one surety for Hussein, 53, and RM7,000 with one surety for Rasyidi, 42.

Both men are required to surrender their passports and report to the MACC headquarters periodically until their case is disposed of.

Suzana also fixed July 20 for the next mention of the case.