Mohamad Hilmi Abdul Wahab, 53, the former political secretary to the Kedah Menteri Besar, was ordered by the Sessions Court to enter his defence on two charges of soliciting and accepting bribes linked to rare earth element mining projects in Kedah on August 20, 2026 [1, 2, 3].
Judge Suzana Hussin ruled that the prosecution had established a prima facie case against Mohamad Hilmi after hearing all witness testimonies and submissions. "The court finds that the prosecution has established a prima facie case against the accused on all charges. Accordingly, the accused is ordered to enter his defence," she said [1].
Mohamad Hilmi pleaded not guilty on November 20, 2023, to charges of soliciting RM250,000 and accepting RM150,000 in bribes from Liana Mamat @ Khalid, a director of REE Mining Group. The payments were allegedly made to assist in obtaining approvals for rare earth element mining and exploration licenses in Kedah [1, 2, 3].
The prosecution claimed the soliciting offence occurred on July 4, 2023, at Sunway Kiara Hills in Taman Sri Hartamas. The accepting offence allegedly took place a week later, on July 11, at a restaurant in Desa Sri Hartamas [1, 2, 3].
The charges fall under Section 16(a)(A) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2009, which carries penalties of up to 20 years imprisonment and fines of at least five times the bribe amount or RM10,000, whichever is higher [1, 2, 3].
Deputy public prosecutor Natrah Fareha Rahmat represented the prosecution, while lawyer Syed Naqiuddin Shahab acted for Mohamad Hilmi [1, 2, 3].
The court has scheduled four days for the defence proceedings, set to begin on October 9, 2026 [1, 2, 3].
