Law and institutional reform minister Azalina Othman Said says Bersatu Segambut deputy chief Adam Radlan Adam Muhammad was freed by the court after the prosecution exercised its discretion to withdraw corruption and money laundering charges against him following his payment of a compound.
Azalina said Adam Radlan had faced 12 charges – five for corruption under Section 16(a)(A) of the MACC Act 2009 and seven for money laundering under the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001 (Amla).
She said during a case mention on Aug 20, the deputy public prosecutor from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) informed the sessions court in Kuala Lumpur that Adam Radlan had been offered a compound under Section 92(1) of Amla and had paid RM4.1 million on Aug 18.
“Following this, the DPP applied to withdraw all charges under Section 254(1) of the Criminal Procedure Code, and the court granted a DNAA, meaning Adam Radlan was released but not acquitted,” she said in a written reply in the Dewan Rakyat.
Azalina said the decision to withdraw the charges was made under the discretionary powers of the public prosecutor, as provided for under Article 145(3) of the Federal Constitution, which allows the prosecutor to initiate, conduct, or discontinue proceedings for any offence except those before the shariah, native, or military courts.
She added that Adam Radlan’s lawyer subsequently asked the court to grant a full discharge and acquittal, and after considering the submissions from both sides, the sessions court judge decided to release and acquit Adam Radlan under Section 254(3) of the Code.
“The order issued by the court was made in accordance with due legal process,” Azalina said.
Adam Radlan was charged in February 2023 with five counts of soliciting and accepting up to RM9.9 million in bribes to help two companies secure projects linked to the Perikatan Nasional government’s Jana Wibawa programme, an economic empowerment initiative for Bumiputera contractors launched during the Covid-19 pandemic.
He also faced seven charges of laundering more than RM3 million.
In August, an anti-corruption group urged the Attorney-General’s Chambers to explain why Adam Radlan was acquitted of his five corruption charges after paying a money laundering compound.
The Center to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4) said there was a discrepancy in the decision as not all offences were compoundable under Amla.
Umno Supreme Council member Puad Zarkashi had also asked MACC to clarify if corruption charges could be compounded following Adam Radlan’s acquittal.
