BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

EIGHT former and current employees of Brunei Shell Petroleum (BSP) were brought to court yesterday to face corruption charges.

At the High Court yesterday before Justice Dato Paduka Steven Chong, the prosecution team led by Dato Seri Setia Davinder Singh SC of Drew & Napier LLC of Singapore filed separate charges under the Prevention of Corruption Act against three former BSP employees following investigation conducted by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB).

Awang Salehen, a former senior operations supervisor at the Production Operations (POP) Department, Seria Crude Oil Terminal (SCOT), is facing 21 counts of corruptly accepting $154,000 between April 2007 and December 2008 as a reward for releasing purchase requisitions and signing delivery notes for the purchases of chemical agents for BSP.

Defendant Muhammad Azam Zaki, a former onshore scheduler at the East Operations (EOP) Department at BSP, is facing five counts of corruptly accepting $88,200 between July 2008 and September 2008 as reward for creating work orders for purchases of chemical agents for BSP.

Aidah Tengah, a former supply chain support officer at the Supply Chain Management (SCM) Department at BSP, is accused of seven offences of corruptly accepting $117,500 between May 2008 and April 2009 as a reward for creating purchase orders for the purchases of chemical agents for BSP.

Aidah is represented by defence Hj Mohammad Rozaiman.

The defendants were released on court bail at $20,000 in two lo-cal sureties at $10,000 each pend-ing the next mention of the case on June 23. The defendants have yet to enter their respective pleas on the charges against them.

During the proceedings at the Magistrates’ Court yesterday before Acting Senior Magistrate Azrimah Hj Abd Rahman, the prosecution submitted separate charges of corruptly accepting gratifications against three current BSP employees and two former BSP employees.

Hjh Latifah Junaidi, a former Supply Chain Support at SCM Department at BSP, is facing 35 counts of corruptly accepting gratifications between March 2008 and January 2009 in the amount of $36,073 as reward for creating purchase orders for the purchase of various emergency safety equipments for BSP.

Hjh Asnah Hj Salran, a supply chain support (Seismic/Ge-omatic), SCM at BSP, is facing six counts of corruptly accepting $20,100 between April and November in 2008 as a reward for creating purchase orders for various industrial goods and equipment for BSP.

Defendant Rosli Simon, a former production foreman at the POP Department, SCOT of BSP, is facing six counts of corruptly accepting $63,800 between October 2005 and Novem-ber 2005 as a reward to put up a request and signing delivery notes for the purchase of emergency safety equipments for BSP.

Meanwhile, defendant Sabeli Ismail, a Senior Offshore Platform Administration at the West Operation (WOP) Department of BSP, was charged with six counts of corruptly accepting $30,250 between July 2008 and October 2008 as a reward for creating work orders for the purchases of chemical agents for BSP.

Mohd Faisal Hj Ismail, a storekeeper at the Support, Transfer & Logistics (STL) Department of BSP, is facing 10 counts of corruptly accepting gratifications in the sum of $24,750 between August 2007 and August 2009 as a reward for creating work orders and signing delivery notes for the purchases of chemical agents for BSP.

No pleas were taken from the defendants and they were released on a $10,000 court bail or two local sureties pending the next mention of the case on June 23 at the Magistrates’ Court.

The Brunei Times