A former aide to Seputeh member of parliament Teresa Kok pleaded not guilty in the sessions court today to two charges involving cheating and receiving RM500,000 in bribes related to school contribution applications two years ago.
Edmund Teoh, 40, was accused of deceiving the member of parliament into believing that only two schools within her constituency had applied for interactive smart board funding. Investigations revealed that 16 schools had actually submitted applications for the funds.
By allegedly misleading the member of parliament, Teoh is said to have induced her into allowing him to process the applications via the MyKhas system under the Mesra Rakyat programme.
This incident reportedly occurred at the service centre in Sri Desa Entrepreneurs Park, Kuchai Lama, in June 2024.
The charge for this offence was framed under Section 417 of the Penal Code. If convicted, the accused faces a prison sentence of up to five years, a fine, or both.
Allegations of RM500,000 bribery
In the second charge, Teoh was accused of receiving RM500,000 from Ainuddin Aminuddin, 36.
The sum was allegedly an inducement to assist in securing contracts for the supply of smart boards to the 16 schools in Seputeh through TMTIT Solutions, a company owned by the wife of Ainuddin.
This alleged transaction took place at a petrol station in Kuchai Lama on August 12, 2024. The charge was brought under Section 16(a)(A) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009.
Under Section 24(1) of the same Act, the offence carries a maximum jail term of 20 years and a fine of at least five times the value of the bribe or RM10,000, whichever is higher, upon conviction.
Bail and court proceedings
Teoh entered his plea before judge Suzana Hussin. Deputy public prosecutor Julaila Jamaluddin requested the court to set bail at RM150,000.
The prosecution also requested that the accused surrender his passport, report to the MACC monthly, and refrain from contacting prosecution witnesses.
In mitigation, defence lawyer MN Lo appealed for a significantly lower bail amount, stating that the surety could only provide RM30,000.
The lawyer noted that his client currently works for a p-hailing company with a monthly income of approximately RM4,000.
The defence also informed the court that Teoh had provided his full cooperation to the authorities throughout the investigation process.
After considering the arguments, judge Suzana fixed bail at RM60,000 and granted the additional conditions requested by the prosecution. The case has been set for mention on July 3.
The prosecution team also included prosecuting officers Vivien Yeap and Fatin Farhana Ismail.
