Bandar Seri Begawan - A Malaysian contractor charged with bribing Brunei Shell Petroleum (BSP) officers was produced again yesterday before the courts.

The prosecution is led by Senior Counsel Dato Davinder Singh and his colleagues Yuen Ting Li and Gary Low from Drew & Napier LLC, Singapore as well as Deputy Public Prosecutors Aldila Hj Mohd Salleh and Hjh S Emeralda PD Hj Abas from the Brunei Attorney General's Chambers, "

The defendant David Chong, Manager of Musfada Enterprise, is represented by Defence Counsel Roy Prabhakaran.

The case was first brought before the Magistrate's Court in the presence of Senior Magistrate Haji Nabil Daraina PD Hj Badaruddin who ordered for it to be remitted to the High Court after the prosecution tendered 252 new charges against the defendant.

The previous 37 charges preferred against the defendant were discharged not amounting to an acquittal by the court upon the prosecution's application entering nolle prosecqui on these charges.

With the new charges, the recipients of the alleged bribes are now down to five BSP Sdn Bhd officers.

In the High Court before Justice Dato Paduka Steven Chong, the defendant was read all 252 charges but no plea was taken.

Roy Prabhakaran asked Justice Chong for time to consider the case.

The court granted time and fixed the case for plea to be taken on January 3, 2013 while the defendant is released on bail of $200,000 cash.

The prosecution and enforcement officers of the case were told to hold on to the defendant's passport, the defendant should report once every two weeks to the investigating officer and is restricted from interfering in investigations of the case.

David Chong is alleged to have abetted bribery by instigating his workers Thomas and Steve on different occasions to deliver money, gadgets and other forms of gratifications like travel tickets to five Brunei Shell Petroleum officers for approval and even created procurement orders from the defendant's company to supply Brunei Shell Petroleum Sdn Bhd.

Charges also allege the defendant of having conspired with his workers and the Brunei Shell Petroleum officers in using false documents with the intent to deceive BSP Sdn Bhd, handed them over to BSP officers for approval to mislead BSP Sdn Bhd into thinking that the supply items have been delivered to BSP Sdn Bhd which in fact, were not, and to induce BSP Sdn Bhd into paying Musfada Enterprise for these fake supply orders.

Musfada Enterprise delivery notes were also forged and used to make BSP Sdn Bhd to believe that the items ordered have been delivered.

The charges also alleged the defendant of having conspired with his workers and BSP officers to make purchase requisitions to make BSP Sdn Bhd believe that supplies of items from Musfada Sdn Bhd were needed, when in fact they were not.

--Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin