Bribery is seen as a serious offence under the laws of Malaysia. People who are convicted under bribery are subjected to heavy penalties and often become the subject of public scrutiny. This issue garners even more attention if the person who accepted the bribe belongs to a government body.
According to an article published by the Star, a police officer in Ipoh has been charged with four counts of bribery at the Sessions Court, today. Inspector Shahrol Zaman Mohd Adom, aged 38, pleaded not guilty to all four charges made against him.
Shahrol Zaman was charged under Section 165 of the Penal Code, which may result in a jail term of up to two years and/or a fine upon conviction.
Shahrol Zaman was accused of accepting a bribe worth a total of RM6000 during an investigation that was handled by him in 2014. He allegedly had accepted bribes from four different individuals to settle a case that he was investigating between 8th to 14th of May 2014. Three offences had been committed in Perak and one in Negeri Sembilan.
Prosecutor Nurul Wahida Jalaluddin requested the bail to be RM8,000 for each charge, adding up to the grand total of RM32,000 for bail cost alone. Shahrol Zaman’s lawyers requested RM5,000 bail for all charges. His lawyer, Mohd Sharullah Khan further explained that his client was only informed a few days earlier before of the case date, and he did not get enough time to gather that much money.
His account had also been frozen by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), resulting in him not being able to access his personal funds. Nurul Wahida insisted on the severity of Shahrol’s punishment because he is a government official and stated that the crime committed can be categorised as a serious act.
The judge had reached a verdict for now. At the moment, bail is fixed at RM12,000 for all charges and the case will be mentioned on March 27th.
Bribery is a serious crime that tarnishes both the country’s and one’s reputation. Let’s put an end to bribery.
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