In a big blow to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court today acquitted and discharged without defence being called, former Kedah Road Transport Department director Zulkifli Othman.

He was charged with four counts of corruption amounting to about RM19,000.

Sessions judge Abu Bakar Katar also acquitted Zulkifli of four alternative charges which were also offered just before the prosecution closed its case.

Abu Bakar, in acquitting Zulkifli, said the prosecution had failed to prove a prima facie case and hence the court acquitted him of all the main and alternative charges of corruption.

Zulkifli, 50, was charged with four counts of:

  • Allegedly accepting a hotel room at Hotel Renaissance in Kuala Lumpur worth RM427.75 from driving school owner Lim Koh Han, 38 as gratification, in order that the RTD would not take action on Lim. He is alleged to have obtained the room at about 5pm on July 5, 2007;
  • Allegedly obtaining a RM204.70 room at the Concorde Hotel in Jalan Sultan Ismail, paid by Lim at about 7.20pm on Aug 3, 2007;
  • Allegedly receiving RM1,000 from Lim at the Club de Macau, the Renaissance Hotel at about 1.30am on Aug 4, 2007 and,
  • Allegedly receiving RM17,325.10 in entertainment and food expenses from Lim at the same club at about 9.40pm on Aug 3, 2007.
All four charges were under the Prevention of Corruption Act 1997. Zulkifli was also offered an alternative charge under section 165 of the Penal Code, which is also for graft but to a lesser charge where the punishment is for two years, fine or both.

Zulkifli was represented by lawyers CV Prabhakaran and Gurcharan Singh while MACC deputy public prosecutor Mohd Zaki Salleh prosecuted.

Prabhakaran, however, was not present in court today.