A Petronas senior manager pleaded not guilty in the Sessions Court in Alor Setar today to a charge of asking for RM13,800 bribe as gratification for supplying Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) five years ago.

Ishak Hashim, 47, senior manager of customer risk management, claimed trial after the charge was read out to him before Judge Mohd Rosli Osman.

Ishak, who was then logistics manager of Kumpulan Minyak Mentah Petronas, is alleged to have committed the offence between June 15 to 20, 2008 at 12pm at Lot 1485, Kampung Alor Janggus, Napoh, near Jitra.

He is alleged to have asked for RM200 bribe for each lorry from Choo Ka Chye and Abdul Khair Walli Mohamed, directors of Syarikat Erision Chem Sdn Bhd via Maybank account of his friend, Syed Mustaffa Syed Abu Bakar as gratification for supplying LNG in 69 tanker lorries.

The charge under Section 11 (a) of the Anti-Corruption Act 1997 carries jail sentence of not more 20 years and fine not less than five times the amount or value of the bribe or RM10,000 whichever is higher, upon conviction.

The court allowed Ishak bail of RM8,000 with one surety.

Deputy public prosecutor (DPP) Fieza Fazlin Fandi of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) prosecuted while Ishak was represented by counsel Jasvinderjit Singh.

Judge Mohd Rosli allowed the case to be mentioned in the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court on July 23.

Ishak and a friend, Idris M Shuhud, 47, were charged with eight counts of corruption totaling RM426,000 and four counts of money laundering involving RM385,000 in the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court on Friday.

He was charged with three counts of accepting bribes amounting to RM22,800 as gratification for supplying LNG to an oil contractor.

- Bernama