Medical lab technologist faces 25 urine-tampering charges

JOHOR BARU: A 52-year-old medical laboratory technologist claimed trial to 25 charges of receiving bribes amounting to RM16,150 at the Sessions Court here in relation to a recent urine-tampering controversy.

Saifulamin Sabran pleaded not guilty after the charges were read to him in front of judge Datuk Ahmad Kamal Arifin Ismail on Sunday (Feb 18).

According to the charge sheet, the accused worked at the Sultanah Aminah Hospital’s (HSA) Pathology Department and agreed to receive payments from six bank account holders who acted as middlemen.

The middlemen for the transaction received money from another six different individuals who have transferred money worth RM500 and RM2,000, which were paid between August 17, 2019 and January 19, 2023.

The payments were made at six different branches of two banks around Johor Baru, Kota Tinggi, Kulai, and Simpang Renggam.

The offence is framed under Section 165 of the Penal Code involving a public servant who had allegedly obtained valuable things without consideration from a person concerned with his official function, which carries a jail term of up to two years, a fine, or both.

The case was prosecuted by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) prosecution officer Fatin Farhana Ismail and deputy public prosecutor Julaila Jamaludin, while the accused is represented by Shaik Saleem SM Daud.

During the proceeding, Fatin Farhana had requested bail to be set at RM13,000 and three additional terms for the accused.

The terms he has to abide by are not to bother any witnesses to the case, to report himself every month to the Johor Baru MACC office, and to hand over his international passport to the court.

Shaik Saleem, in mitigation, then requested a lower bail, saying that the accused is currently taking care of his three children and an unemployed wife.

The court then set bail at RM10,000 and April 21 for case mention. The accused paid the bail.

The Star had previously reported that medical staff working with the pathology department at a government hospital in Johor Baru was at the centre of an extensive network involved in providing tampered urine samples in substance abuse cases for a fee of between RM500 and RM1,500.

Among those caught were 33 policemen of various ranks from almost all of Johor’s 13 police districts. Investigations also revealed that the network has been operational since 2018.

The incident also resulted in the reshuffling of almost 10 medical personnel from HSA’s pathology department.

Johor health and environment committee chairman Ling Tian Soon said that the department has reinforced all standard operating procedures (SOPs) related to the handling of urine samples.

This includes implementing digitalisation measures to prevent any future tampering.

He added the department took the matter seriously, as HSA is the only hospital in the southern region involved in testing urine samples for the police and the National Anti-Drug Agency.

The hospital tests about 20,000 to 30,000 urine samples each year.