KUALA LUMPUR: An immigration officer was fined RM35,000 in default three months’ jail by the Sessions Court here today for failing to report bribery totalling RM21,000 to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), three years ago.
Judge Izralizam Sanusi meted out the sentence against Muhamad Solihan Johari, 37, after he pleaded guilty to the charge.
According to the charge, Muhamad Solihan had received a bribe totalling RM21,000 from a 44-year-old businessman through a bank account of a woman, while working at the Immigration Department office at Bangunan AMC in the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), Sepang.
The money was an inducement to assist in the processing of travel documents for foreigners including visas, passes and permits from the Immigration Department.
The offence was allegedly committed at the Maybank branch in Taman Connaught, Cheras between Feb 14 and May 25, 2018, under Section 25 (1) of the MACC Act 2009 and punishable under Section 25 (2) of the same act which provides for a fine not exceeding RM100,000 or imprisonment not exceeding 10 years or both.
The accused paid the fine.
Earlier, Mohamad Solihan, who was not represented, pleaded for a lenient sentence and said that he was remorseful over the act, while deputy public prosecutor Wan Shaharudin Wan Ladin proposed for a fine between RM25,000 and RM40,000 as the accused had pleaded guilty on the day he was charged.
In Negeri sembilan, two immigration officers who were detained under Ops Selat pleaded not guilty at the Seremban Sessions Court today for corruption charges.
According to the charge, Mohamad Izhmi Mohamad Noor, 35, while working at the Immigration Department office in KLIA2 had received RM10,000 from an individual who has official working ties with him, at a stall in Kampung Jijan, Nilai, in October last year.
Meanwhile, Muhammad Ali Mohammed Redzwa, 27, who works at the Immigration Department in KLIA, was charged with four counts of accepting bribe totalling RM5,500 through four third-party bank account transactions.
All the offences were allegedly committed at the Maybank and Maybank Islamic Banking Berhad, Nilai branch, between Dec 30, 2017, and Dec 1, 2019.
Both of them were charged under Section 165 of the Penal Code, which provides for a maximum of two years jail or a fine or both, upon conviction.
Judge Datin Surita Budin allowed bail at RM10,000 for Mohamad Izhmi and RM20,000 for Muhammad Ali and set Aug 23 for mention. — Bernama
