The Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court will decide on July 18 whether to issue a discharge not amounting to an acquittal (DNAA) or acquit a former senior manager of Sime Darby Engineering Sdn Bhd from a charge of receiving a RM200,000 bribe over the sale and construction of three vessels.

This follows an application by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to get the court to issue the DNAA against the accused, Mazhazmi Jamaludin, after it could not locate the key witness, Redzuan Goh Mohammed Karian, while lawyer Shamsul Sulaiman representing Mazhazmi applied for an acquittal of his client.

Judge Rozilah Salleh set July 18 as the deadline for the MACC to produce the witness failing which the court would make a ruling whether to issue the DNAA or acquit the accused.

She also set June 1 for mention.

Mazhazmi, 37, is charged with accepting the payment as gratification in proposing MLC Shipbuilding Sdn Bhd to obtain a contract from Sime Darby to construct and sell one Derrick Lay Barge (Hull No MLC 12888), a 75M (Wartsila 8000bhp) Anchor Handling Tug/Supply Vessel Hull No 75083 and a 75M (Wartsila 8000bhp) Anchor Handling Tug/Supply Vessel Hull No 75084', all worth USD134.2 million (RM401.9 million).

He is also charged with accepting the money to confirm certain payments made by the shipbuilding company for the construction of the barge and tug vessels.

Mazhazmi was alleged to have received the money from Redzuan, the owner of MLC Shipbuilding Sdn Bhd.

Earlier, MACC deputy public prosecutor Anthony Kevin Morais had applied to the court to DNAA the accused or to adjourn the trial as it could not subpoena Redzuan, a Singaporean, because he was not at his last known address at Taman Tasik Titiwangsa, here.

He said the MACC was liasing with the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau of Singapore to help the MACC locate Redzuan but informed the court that Redzuan had not absconded as he had business in Kuala Lumpur.

The trial had begun on April 11 this year with the prosecution calling eight witnesses.

However, Shamsul submitted that as the key witness could not be located, his client should have been acquitted.

- Bernama