TAWAU: Two Immigration Department officers were charged at the Special Corruption Court here today with accepting bribes to allow nine illegal immigrants who had used identity cards of other individuals for the purpose of leaving Sabah to the Peninsula, two months ago.
Both the accused, Rosmaini Sapar, 40, and Elmin Salleh, 30, pleaded not guilty when the charges were read in front of judge Jason Juga.
Rosmaini was charged with accepting RM4,500 as bribes from an individual as an inducement to allow the illegal immigrants to pass through immigration counter 1 at the Tawau airport between 8.30am and 9am, and board a flight from Tawau to the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) on March 23.
Rosmaini who is attached to the Tawau UTC Immigration office is charged with accepting the said amount at the Tawau branch of the Muamalat Bank located at Lot 69 & 70, Ground & First Floor No G4 & G6, Kubota Square, Tawau on March 22.
The charges were filed under Section 16(a)(B) of the Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009 that can be punished under Section 24 of the same Act.
Elmin who is based at the Tawau Airport’s Immigration office was charged with abetting Rosmaini’s corrupt act by accepting the bribed amount at the same location and date.
The accused was charged under Section 28(1)(c) of the MACC Act 2009 and read together with Section 16(a)(B) of the same Act and punishable under Section 24 of the same Act.
The Section provides a jail term of 20 years and fine not more than five times the bribed amount or RM10,000 or whichever is higher, if convicted.
Jason fixed bail for Rosmaini and Elmin at RM10,000 each and ordered both to hand over their passports to the court as well as report to the MACC office once every two months and fixed July 27 for re-mention of the case.
The prosecution was led by Nurul Izzati Sapifee from the MACC while both the accused were represented by lawyer Jhesseny P Kang. -Bernama
