Former Yayasan Selangor deputy general manager (management) Saifulruddin Sulaiman pleaded not guilty in the Shah Alam Sessions Court to three counts of graft involving RM45,000 in connection with the foundation's 40th anniversary celebration last year.

Saifulruddin, 32, claimed trial after the three charges were read to him before Judge Mat Ghani Abdullah.

He allegedly agreed to accept RM20,000 from Husni Hirzi Abd Rahim, the Drift Z Enterprise manager, as a gratification for facilitating the selection of the company as the event manager for the celebration, at his house at No 3, Jalan Platinum 7/43C, Section 7, Shah Alam at 8pm on Oct 5.

NONEHe is also alleged to have accepted RM20,000 from Husni Hirzi as an inducement to not withholding the payment for Drift Z Enterprise for the same celebration at the same place at 9pm on Oct 25.

Saifulruddin (left) is also facing another charge of agreeing to accept a bribe of RM5,000 from Husni Hirzi for the release of an additional payment totalling RM93,982.40 to the same company in front of The Skewers restaurant, Subang Avenue, near here at 9pm on Nov 11.

He is facing a maximum of 20 years in jail, a fine of five times the amount of bribe or RM10,000 whichever is higher if convicted under the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Kevin Morais of the MACC urged the court to impose RM15,000 in bail but Sawmee Ullah Nawzumeah, representing the accused, applied for the amount to be reduced to RM7,000.

Mat Ghani allowed Saifulruddin a bail of RM10,000 in one surety and set a five-day trial starting July 18.

The court also set May 9 for case management.

- Bernama