BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

A PUBLIC servant was brought before the Magistrates Court yesterday on charges of corruptly obtaining money from a contractor in connection with supervising a government project.

The defendant, Pg Hj Ahmad Pg Hj Jaya, a Technical Officer at the Brunei Telecom Department, is charged with one count of committing an offence under Section 165 of the Penal Code (Chapter 22).

As with a Public Works Department (PWD) officer who was found guilty on December 1 of corruptly receiving money, Pg Hj Ahmad was also arrested by Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) officials after allegedly receiving a payoff at the car park of the Mail Processing Centre in Berakas.

While the PWD officer was arrested for corruptly receiving money in that car park on April 23, 2005, Pg Hj Ahmad’s arrest in the same car park came just one month later.

In their charges against the defendant, ACB officers claimed Pg Hj Ahmad allegedly received $21,000 in the form of $2,000 cash and $19,000 a cash cheque about 9.25am on June 21, 2005.

The charges accuse the defendant of receiving the money from Pea Chong Hing, a contractor associated with Pea’s Company Sdn Bhd, the very company that was in charge of Brunei Telecom Department Project No. JTB/SO/CTL0022/2002.

The charges also stated that the money was paid in full knowledge that Pg Hj Ahmad performed official functions in his position as the supervisor of the government project.

If convicted, Pg Hj Ahmad faces seven years in prison and a fine. The Magistrate ordered Pg Hj Ahmad to be released on $5,000 bail on one surety.

The trial is scheduled to resume on December 22, when Pg Hj Ahmad is expected to enter his plea. The Brunei Times

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