Tekun National, a financial services agency's ex-CEO charged with corruption

https://youtu.be/2AENwxAVtaA

Abdul Rahim escorted to the court room in Shah Alam

SHAH ALAM: Former Tekun Nasional managing director and chief executive officer Datuk Abdul Rahim Hassan was charged at the Sessions Court here with two counts of corruption.

He pleaded not guilty to the first charge of soliciting a bribe of RM36,000 via a text message from Abdul Muhsin Abdul Rahman between 8.30pm and 9pm on Jan 13, 2015, as an inducement to help speed up claims made by Pasadana Sdn Bhd, a registered debt collection company.

He also claimed trial to a second charge of accepting a bribe in the form of cash from Abdul Muhsin at about 9.30pm on Jan 15, the same year at Kelab Shah Alam Selangor in Seksyen 13 here.

Both offences were under Section 16(a)(A) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009.

The bribe is equivalent to 10% of the outstanding amount due to Tekun for November 2014.

It is learnt that the company was appointed by the accused to carry out debt collection from defaulters with over two years of outstanding dues.

Tekun Nasional is a financial services agency for micro and small entrepreneurs under the Agriculture & Agro-based Industry Ministry.

Clad in a dark green polo T-shirt and black pants, Abdul Rahim nodded after the charges were read to him by a court interpreter.

The MACC deputy public prosecutor Aida Adhha Abu Bakar suggested that bail be set at RM20,000 for each charge. She also asked that Abdul Rahim be ordered to surrender his passport to the court until the case is over.

Counsel Datuk Hasnal Redzua Merican, assisted by Muzzamir Merican, requested for a single bail sum.

Judge Asmadi Hussin then set bail at RM18,000 with one surety and ordered the accused to surrender his passport.

He also set Feb 8, for case management and set March 13 to 17, for trial.

On Sunday, a team of MACC officers detained the 62-year-old at his house in Bukit Bandaraya, Shah Alam, at 5.15pm.

He was first picked up in Kelab Shah Alam on Jan 15, 2015, after receiving the alleged bribes and was released after the remand order had lapsed.

The MACC only recently obtained consent to charge him.

It was not the first time Abdul Rahim was charged. In November 2015, he was slapped with two corruption charges linked to his family members.

It is learnt that the charges had been withdrawn by the prosecution.

Sources: By Allison Lai The Star/Asia News Network

Related articles: 

EOSD » GSFN TEKUN NASIONAL MALAYSIA

eosd.org/en/gsfn/tekun.html

TEKUN NASIONAL MALAYSIA. TEKUN Nasional is a financial services agency for micro and small entrepreneurs under the Ministry of Agriculture & Agro-based ...
 

Tekun Nasional

https://www.tekun.gov.my/

 USAHAWAN TEKUN ... SKIM PEMBIAYAAN TEKUN NASIONALTEMAN TEKUNAR-RAHNU TEKUNI-FACTORINGINSTITUT KEUSAHAWANAN TEKUN

Former Tekun boss faces graft charges

Former Tekun CEO claims trial to two counts of corruption - Nation 

Ex-Tekun Nasional CEO charged with bribery⁠⁠⁠⁠ | theSundaily 

Former Tekun Nasional MD CEO charged with bribery involving ... 

Ex-Tekun CEO charged with corruption | TODAYonline 

Former Tekun Nasional MD, CEO charged with bribery - ENG - Sinar ... 

Former Tekun CEO claims trial to two counts of corruption

 

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Councillors ready to serve Penangites to make a difference?

THE Penang Island City Council (MBPP) and the Seberang Prai Municipal Council (MPSP) see 10 new faces among the list of councillors who sworn in Jan 5 and 6 for the 2017 term.

State Local Government Committee chairman Chow Kon Yeow said the lineup for the 24 MBPP and 23 MPSP councillors is effective Jan 1 till Dec 31.

The new faces appointed as councillors (from left) Tan, Shahrudin, Seow, Loh, Khoo Salma, Noor Syazwani, Shung and Woo at a press conference in Komtar.

He said three of the five new faces in MBPP are from non-governmental organisations (NGOs), namely writer Khoo Salma Nasution, 53, (Penang Forum), insurance and corporate risk consultant Shung Yin Ni, 31, (Penang Chinese Chamber of Commerce) and marketing officer Noor Syazwani Md Amin, 30, (Persatuan Peniaga Melayu Pasar Malam Pulau Pinang).

The other two are senior marketing manager Tan Chiew Choon, 45, and businessman Shahrudin Mohamed Sahriff, 47, both from PKR.

Chiew Choon had served as a councillor before with the MBPP between 2013 and 2015. He was not retained the following term.

The five replace Eric Lim Seng Keat (NGO), Dr Lim Mah Hui (NGO), Mohamed Yusoff Mohamed Noor (NGO), Felix Ooi Keat Hin (PKR) and Shahul Hameed M. K. Mohamed Ishack (PKR).

The 19 councillors who were retained are Goh Choon Keong, Gooi Seong Kin, Grace Teoh Koon Gee, Harvindar Singh, Joseph Ng Soon Siang, D. R. Kala, Chris Lee Chun Kit, Ong Ah Teong, Syerleena Abdul Rashid, Wong Yuee Harng, J. Francis, Muhammad Bakhtiar Wan Chik, Nur Zarina Zakaria, A. Kumaresan, Ahmad Razaaim Azimi, Ahmad Azrizal Tahir, Mhd Nasir Yahya, Saiful Azwan Abd Malik and Gan Ay Ling.

MPSP also has five new faces including lawyer Thomas Loh Wei Pheng, 33, (DAP), special officer Woo Sze Zeng, 34, (DAP), company director Dr Seow Kweng Tian, 37, (PKR), entrepreneur Fadzil Abdullah, 60, (Amanah) and clerk Hamizah Abdul Manab, 26, (NGO).

They replace Siti Nur Shazreen Mohd Jilani (DAP), Tan Chong Hee (DAP), Goh Choon Aik (PKR), Alias Wan Chek (PKR), Mohd Suzuki Ahmad (Amanah) and Ahmad Tarmizi Abdullah (NGO), whose terms were not extended.

Chow said one more vacancy in the lineup for MPSP will be decided in the next state exco meeting.

The other 18 MPSP councillors are P. David Marshel, Heng Yeh Shiuan, H’ng Mooi Lye, K. Kumar, Mohamad Shaipol Ismail, M. Satees, Tan Chee Teong, Tan Cheong Heng, Zulkifli Ibrahim, Mohd Sharmizan Mohamad Nor, Zaini Awang, Ong Jing Cheng, Anuar Yussoff, Dr Amar Pritpal Abdullah, Shuhada Abdul Rahim, Zulkiply Ishak, Dr Tiun Ling Ta and Wong Chee Keet.

Shung, who is from a corporate background, said she hoped to assist in providing a better environment for business undertakings in Penang.

Shahrudin said the appointment would encourage him to step up efforts to serve the people better.

The Jelutong PKR branch deputy chief said he hoped to take on his role as a councillor more efficiently through various state initiatives and policies.

Dr Seow hopes to resolve issues related to public transportation and community welfare.

He said that he hoped to resolve traffic congestion, plant more trees and maintain cleanliness.

“I hope to be able to introduce more community-based activities as a councillor,” said Dr Seow, who is a PhD holder.

Speaking at a press conference in Komtar yesterday, Chow said the allowances for the councillors would remain at RM2,500 each.

“They are also eligible for allowances for attending meetings up to RM1,200, which is about RM100 for every meeting they attend. There is also a RM300 mobile phone allowance,” he added.

Also present was Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng.

By Chong Kah Yuan and Intan Amalina The Star/ANN

Newly sworn-in MBPP councillors ready to make a difference

(From left) Tan, Noor Syazwani, Shung, Salma and Shahrudin posing for a photo after the swearing-in ceremony at the City Hall in George Town, Penang.

MARKETING officer Noor Syazwani Md Amin is eagerly waiting to serve the people as one of Penang Island City Council’s (MBPP) five new councillors.

The 30-year-old, who is with a non-governmental organisation (NGO) Penggerak Komuniti Muda Pulau Pinang (Peka), said one of the issues close to her heart is the flood woes in the state.

“I live in the flood-prone Jalan P. Ramlee, so I definitely hope it’s one of the issues that can be solved for the sake of the people.

“There will be the flood mitigation projects which are going to be carried out. So, hopefully I can make use of that for the community, especially those staying in Sungai Pinang, Jelutong and Jalan P. Ramlee,” she said when met after the MBPP councillors’ swearing-in ceremony for the 2017 term at the City Hall in George Town, Penang, yesterday.

Noor Syazwani said her priority is always about placing the people first.

“Helping people excites me.

“Hopefully, I can give my best because I’m still new,” she added.

She is among 24 MBPP councillors, who took their oath at the City Hall yesterday.

Three of the five new faces are from NGOs. They are writer Khoo Salma Nasution, 53, (Penang Forum), insurance and corporate risk consultant Shung Yin Ni, 31, (Penang Chinese Chamber of Commerce) and Noor Syazwani.

The other two are senior marketing manager Tan Chiew Choon, 45, and businessman Shahrudin Mohamed Shariff, 47, both from PKR.

Meanwhile, Shung said she hoped to enhance conduciveness of Penang as an excellent business centre with her appointment in the MBPP.

“This is so that when the economy blooms, everyone gets to benefit from it.

“I would also like to emphasise on sustainable development, which does not only mean taking care of the environment but also the needs of the people. Therefore, I hope to find a balance,” she added.

The five replace Eric Lim Seng Keat (NGO), Dr Lim Mah Hui (NGO), Mohamed Yusoff Mohamed Noor (NGO), Felix Ooi Keat Hin (PKR) and Shahul Hameed M.K. Mohamed Ishack (PKR).

The 19 councillors retained are Goh Choon Keong, Gooi Seong Kin, Grace Teoh Koon Gee, Harvindar Singh, Joseph Ng Soon Siang, D.R. Kala, Chris Lee Chun Kit, Ong Ah Teong, Syerleena Abdul Rashid, Wong Yuee Harng, J. Francis, Muhammad Bakhtiar Wan Chik, Nur Zarina Zakaria, A. Kumaresan, Ahmad Razaaim Azimi, Ahmad Azrizal Tahir, Mhd Nasir Yahya, Saiful Azwan Abd Malik and Gan Ay Ling.

The new MBPP lineup comprises 10 from DAP, eight from PKR, two from Amanah and four from NGOs.

The tenure for the councillors is from Jan 1 until Dec 31.

In her speech, MBPP mayor Datuk Patahiyah Ismail congratulated all the appointed councillors.

State Local Government Committee chairman Chow Kon Yeow said the role of a councillor is very extensive.

“Apart from representing the general public and local community, a member of the council is also an intermediate between the community and local authority,” he said in his speech.

Chow also congratulated the council on its success in getting various awards and victories at state, national and international levels.

The achievements include being the Earth City Hour Challenge 2016 finalist.

MBPP also received the Tourism Promotion Organisation for Asia Pacific (TPO) Tourism Industry Leader Award in Tourism Promotion for Asia Pacific Forum 2016.

Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, who was also present, said MBPP’s success not only depended solely on a credible and effective management, but also the support, commitment and team work from all councillors, officers and staff.

He said MBPP practised prudent spending and governance based on the principles of CAT (competency, accountability and transparency) that successfully recorded an excellent financial performance with budget surplus in the financial statements for three consecutive years, which is RM47.57mil for 2013, RM177.95mil for 2014 and RM146.04mil for 2015.

“The success of the council in maintaining good financial performance enables efforts to improve the provision of public facilities.

“MBPP will implement several development projects at a cost of RM5.2mil.

“Among the proposed projects to improve the comfort of the people, include the construction of a public market in Batu Ferringhi,” he added.

By Cavina Lim The Star/ANN

Outspoken author among five new faces at MBPP

New faces appointed as the councillor in Penang Island City Council (MBPP) for 2017. (oriental daily/04 Jan 2017)

GEORGE TOWN: An outspoken author of over a dozen history books is among five new faces appointed as Penang Island City (MBPP) councillors.

Khoo Salma Nasution represents Penang Forum and is taking over from her equally vocal counterpart Dr Lim Mah Hui, who opted out of being re-appointed this year after serving six terms.

Penang Forum is a loose coalition of non-political civil society groups, often critical of the state government’s plans and policies.

The city’s councillors are appointed yearly and comprise a small number of NGO representatives, including one from Penang Forum.

During his term, Dr Lim vocife­rously highlighted governance issues to the point of incurring the annoyance of the state administration.

Khoo planned to keep public pressure on MBPP and wished that more seats were allotted to NGOs.

She is eager to see what committees are in the council and hoped to play a role especially in fostering sustainable development, transport planning, environmental issues and heritage conservation.

“I feel there is not enough awareness on these. I want to see what I can do about making people more conscious of them, not just indivi­duals but at an institutional level,” she said.

The former journalist of The Star who did a 20-year research into Penang’s history and development to write her books, believes that the council needs environmental goals and key performance indicators to monitor Penang’s green progress.

“We need to collect more information about how Penang is doing to track our environmental and heritage conservation efforts,” she said.

Khoo was in Komtar yesterday when Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng and state exco member Chow Kon Yeow announced the appointments of the new councillors.

Dr Lim said he was glad that the state government accepted Penang Forum’s nomination of Khoo.

“Her decades of study on Pe­­nang’s growth will help the council manage development while preserving our cultural and heritage values,” he said.

Dr Lim added that he declined his re-appointment because he felt “the change in Penang that we want doesn’t seem to be happening”. Other new faces are Tan Chiew Choon (PKR), Shahrudin Mohamed Sahriff (PKR), Shung Yin Ni (NGO) and Noor Syazwani Mohd Amin (NGO).

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Another big fish nabbed for corruption, graft rampant and serious!

https://youtu.be/0-0b0CwFquk

MACC arrests ministry sec-gen

PETALING JAYA: Three months after trailing him, the Malaysian-Anti Corruption Commission (MACC) moved in and arrested Rural and Regional Development Ministry secretary-general Datuk Mohd Arif Ab Rahman at his home just as he was about to leave for work.

Gold bars, 150 luxury handbags, branded watches and foreign currencies were found after officers searched the property in USJ3, Subang Jaya, for 12 hours.

The gold bars and Australian and Euro currencies seized were estimated at RM3mil.

The designer handbags were from brands such as Chanel, Hermes, Dior, Louis Vuitton and Gucci.

Prices for some of these bags range from RM7,000 to RM100,000 each.

When contacted, MACC deputy chief commissioner (operations) Datuk Azam Baki confirmed the arrests of Mohd Arif, 59, and his 29-year-old son at their home at 8am yesterday.

He said the case was being investigated for abuse of power, corruption and money laundering.

Raid target: MACC officers arrested Mohd Arif at his house in Subang Jaya as he was about to leave for work.

The MACC is said to be investigating whe­ther all his overseas trips and other expenses incurred there were paid for by “certain individuals”.

A source said Mohd Arif just returned from a golfing trip to the United States.

“More suspects will be picked up soon to assist in the probe,” Azam said.

Mohd Arif and his son are expected to be remanded this morning.

It is understood that MACC is investigating 38 savings and current accounts and at least three safe deposit boxes in several banks in connection with the case.

The probe also covers several plots of lands.

The source said several documents from a lawyer’s office in Puchong related to the plots of land were also seized.

It is learnt that statements had also been recorded from Mohd Arif’s 57-year-old wife, his 32-year-old daughter and another son aged 34.

The couple has six children.

Car and cash: A Proton Perdana is seen parked outside the house of Mohd Arif.

Attempts to contact Mohd Arif for comments were unsuccessful.

A visit to his double-storey terrace corner lot home at about 7pm showed that no one was present.

Three luxury cars were parked in the porch. The housing area is a gated and guarded community.

A Proton Perdana was parked in front of the house.

Mohd Arif was appointed to the ministry post on Oct 16, 2015. He also sits in the board of a government-linked company.

Prior to that, he also served as a secretary-general in another ministry and was a deputy secretary-general and state financial officer.

He joined the civil service in 1981 as an administrative and diplomatic officer and is a Universiti Malaya graduate.

Sources: Simon Khoo, Mazwin Nik Anis, Andaustin Camoens The Star/Asian News Network

MACC: Sec-gen is from Rural and Regional Development Ministry 

 

PETALING JAYA: The suspect who was arrested earlier Wednesday for alleged graft is from the Rural and Regional Development Ministry, confirms Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) deputy chief commissioner (operations) Datuk Azam Baki.

When contacted to verify the identity of the suspect, Azam confirmed that it was the current Ministry secretary-general, Datuk Mohd Arif Ab Rahman.

In a statement earlier, Azam said that Mohd Arif was arrested at his house in USJ Subang Jaya at 8am.

Also arrested was a 29-year-old male suspect.

Mohd Arif is suspected to have abused his power and position since 2010 to solicit bribes.

Initial investigations showed he had a direct hand in appointing contractors, suppliers and vendors.

The MACC has also confiscated cash and gold bars worth about RM3mil.

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 Sec-gen nabbed for corruption

Luxury watches seized from the family.

PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Anti- Corruption Commission (MACC) has seized gold bars and cash amounting to some RM3 million from the secretary-general of a federal ministry, who was arrested for suspected graft today.

The 59-year-old “datuk” was detained at his home in Subang Jaya by an MACC raiding team at 8am today. Also arrested was his 29-year-old son.

It is learnt that investigators have also quizzed the secretary-general’s wife, two daughters and another son.

Members of the raiding party spent 12 hours searching their house where they seized 150 luxury handbags and dozens of luxury watches.

The MACC also raided his lawyer’s office in Puchong where investigators took away an undisclosed number of documents related to the case.

In confirming the arrest, MACC deputy Chief Commissioner (Operations) Datuk Azam Baki hinted at the possibility of more arrests to come in connection with the case.

He said the Datuk is suspected of having received bribes from selected contractors, vendors and suppliers whom he had awarded government work and contracts.

The Datuk, who was previously secretary-general of another ministry before being appointed to his current position where he is directly involved in the award of government work contracts, is also a director in a government-linked company (GLC).

He is alleged to have recently taken a trip to play golf in the United States, for which MACC investigators learnt the expenses were paid by certain individuals with vested interests in projects by the Datuk’s ministry. The arrest comes days after MACC chief commissioner Datuk Dzulkifli Ahmad on Sunday had advised senior civil servants to stop their golfing trips abroad as it can be opportunities for corruption.

On Tuesday, during an interview with the MACC.fm, Azam had reiterated his boss’ advice, saying that golf often offers an opportunity for those in upper society to establish contacts, whether they are public figures, government officials or businessmen.

“Golf by itself is not wrong and those who join others to play golf are not wrong, too. I also play golf. But in Malaysia, golf involves high-ranking officials, public figures and people in high-society.

“An entourage on overseas golfing trips often include contractors, suppliers ... sometimes the whole (government official’s) office go along on these trips,” he said.

Azam said this does not only happen at the federal level but has also involved state, district and local government officials.

By Charles Ramendran newsdesk@thesundaily.com

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