A FORMER Brunei diplomat to Indonesia yesterday denied meeting and accepting money from a freelance employment agent during yesterday’s continuation of the hearing of the corruption charged brought against him before the Magistrate’s Court. Hj Yakib Hj Jumat is facing 10 charges under Section 6(a) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, Chapter 131 and 10 more under Section 165 of the Penal Code, Chapter 22.
He was arrested by officers from Brunei’s Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) for allegedly obtaining money amounting to $27,329.10 from Indonesian employment agents in return for issuing hundreds of work visas.
During the cross-examination, Hj Yakib said that he had never met with Zetira Anas Nazar, a freelance employment agent before as well as on mid-February 2005 when Zetira allegedly told Hj Yakib of her problems with an employment agency.
Hj Yakib further denied allegations of asking Zetira for money when she asked him to allow her to submit passports personally.
The prosecution alleged that Hj Yakib had started to receive money from Zetira during mid-February 2005.
According to the prosecution, this was evident from the two separate columns made in Zetira’s passport.
“Even though she made her own statement, it was for her own benefit. Whatever she said is totally not true,” said Hj Yakib.
He further denied allegations that all the passport data were not for her own use, and that all of it were given to him together with the unofficial payment.
Hj Yakib also denied to have contacted or sent messages to Zetira on several occasions.
However, when the prosecution presented a list of calls made from a handphone, Hj Yakib changed his tune.
He stated that it was a “coincidence” and agreed with the prosecution that there were communication exchanges between him and Zetira based on the data presented.
When asked by the prosecution to confirm that he was in contact with Zetira, Hj Yakib said: “Yes, as per data, if I’m not mistaken, she always contacted me first and then I would reply to her.”
Hj Yakib told the court that he could not recall of what Zetira was contacting him for as he does not have the content of the messages on hand.
He further denied allegations of receiving “unofficial payment” from Zetira on December 2006 for employment visas issued for the month of November 2006, as well as instructing his clerk, Md Nur, to ask Zetira to prepare the passport data.
“I have never received that money except what is contained inside the envelope whereby I don’t know its contents. It was until I was instructed by the ACB officers to open the envelope,” said Hj Yakib.
He added, “as for calling Md Nur to instruct him to inform Zetira to prepare the data, I never did so”.
The prosecution’s allegation was further denied by Hj Yakib of ever receiving an envelope on December 6, 2006. “From what I know, it was placed on my table, and I never opened the contents until ACB officers told me to do so,” he said.
If found guilty, the defendant can be sentenced to a fine of $30,000 and seven years imprisonment for each charge and a further imprisonment term which may exceed seven years with a fine. The Brunei Times
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