26/12/2021 04:50 PM
ALOR SETAR, Dec 26 -- Four Customs officers were today each sentenced to 24 months’ jail by the Sessions Court here after being found guilty of accepting a bribe of RM22,000 in May 2019.
Judge Harmi Thamri Mohamad passed the sentence on Kamaruzaman Hashim, 43, Mohamad Fadzil Voon Fandi Voon, 37, Saiful Azhar Ismail, 37, and Muhamad Izrul Ismail, 32, after the defence failed to prove the prosecution’s case beyond reasonable doubt.
Harmi Thamri said the court took into consideration that public interest outweighed personal interest and to serve as a lesson for the accused, all Customs officers and other public servants.
The four were accused of jointly accepting RM22,000 from Md Radzi Puteh who was found to be in possession of contraband cigarettes and firecrackers in Kampung Namek Tua, Sik at about 6.30 pm on May 21, 2019.
The four Customs officers were charged under Section 137(1)(b) of the Customs Act 1967 and the offence punishable under Section 137(1) of the same act.
Based on the facts of the case, the first accused, Kamaruzaman had supposedly discussed with the informant in which he agreed on the payment rate of RM25,000 by releasing the remanded Md Radzi during the raid.
Then Md Radzi handed over the money contained in a plastic bag to Kamaruzaman while the balance of RM3,000 was given by his (Md Radzi) son-in-law, Amir Fadzli Basirun through an online transaction to the first accused.
Kamaruzaman was also found guilty of committing the first offence by receiving the RM3,000 at about 6.49 pm on the same day, hence he was also sentenced to 24 months’ jail, with the sentences to run concurrently.
However, the court allowed stay of the sentence on all the accused while waiting for the appeal process at the High Court after applying for a postponement through their counsel, Rosman Azwan Osman.
The court allowed stay of the sentence with the existing bail (RM2,000) be increased to RM10,000 each for the accused and they need to report themselves at the nearest Customs Department in the first week of each month.
Deputy public prosecutor from the Malaysia Royal Customs Department, Khairul Nizam Abu Bakar appeared for the prosecution.
-- BERNAMA
