High Court upholds police inspector's conviction, sentence on bribery charge

KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court today upheld the two-year jail sentence and fine of RM100,000 imposed on a police inspector on a charge of accepting bribery amounting to RM20,000.
Judge Datuk Azman Abdullah made the ruling after rejecting an appeal by Mohd Tahzir Husain, 33, against the conviction and sentence imposed by the Sessions Court on Aug 19 last year.
In his judgement, Azman said the decision of the Sessions Court was safe to be maintained and the sentence imposed was not too heavy.
"This sentence commensurates with the offence. Furthermore the punishment in the case of corruption is serious and the appellant's position as a police officer is important in curbing the main enemy of the country," he said.
However the court allowed an application by counsel Ramkarpal Singh, who represented Mohd Tahzir, to postpone executing the sentence pending an appeal in the Court of Appeal and maintained the RM20,000 bail.

On Aug 19, 2016, the Sessions Court here sentenced the accused to a two-year jail term and fine of RM100,000 after the defence failed to find any reasonable doubts on the prosecution's case. He was also ordered to serve a jail term of six months if he failed to pay the fine.
Mohd Tahzir from the Kuala Lumpur Police Headquarters Narcotics Crime Investigation Division was convicted of receiving a RM20,000 bribe from the manager of a supermarket, Chuah Seang Phean, 37, at Old Town White Coffee Restaurant, in Jalan Jejaka 7, Taman Maluri, Cheras here at 6.18 pm, June 29, 2011.
The bribe was given as an incentive to reduce the sentence imposed on the father of Seang Phean, Chuah Tian Sun, 62, and his stepmother Tee Mong Kiau, 43, who were then in police custody for allegedly committing an offence under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.
The offence was framed under Section 17(a) of the MACC and punishable under Section 24 of the same act, which carries a maximum jail term of 20 years and a fine not less than five times the amount of the bribery or RM10,000, whichever is higher, upon conviction.
Deputy prosecuting officer Farah Yasmin Salleh appeared for the prosecution. — Bernama