Chan Eng Leong and Tan Kok Siang, both 50, were also charged with nine counts of receiving bribes of RM2.67 million to resolve RM108 million in unpaid excise duties owed by Global Tobacco Manufacturers (International) Sdn Bhd.

The duo pleaded not guilty after the charges were read before judge Zulhazmi Abdullah at the sessions court here.

On the first count, the duo were charged with asking for RM4 million in bribes from Goh Choon Kim, a director of the tobacco company.

The remaining nine charges detail the RM2,675,150 in bribes deposited by Goh into a bank account to resolve the tax issues.

The offence was allegedly committed at a hotel in Bukit Mertajam and a bank in Queensbay Mall, Bayan Lepas, on Sept 12, 2019.

All 10 charges were framed under Section 16 (a)(A) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009, which carries a penalty of imprisonment for up to 20 years and a fine of at least five times the bribe amount or RM10,000, whichever is higher.

Deputy public prosecutor Wirna Ariffin requested bail to be set at RM100,000 with one surety for each accused.

Zulhazmi granted the request and ordered the duo to surrender their passports until the case is concluded. He also ordered the accused to report to the nearest MACC office once a month and to refrain from interfering with prosecution witnesses.

The court set Aug 2 for case mention.

Taufik Awaludin and Syahzada Azad Sanusi also prosecuted. Lawyers RSN Rayer represented Chan, while S Meharaj represented Tan.