Cops get 2 years' jail, RM25,000 fine for bribery

SHAH ALAM: Two police personnel and one retired policeman were each sentenced to two years' jail and RM25,000 fine by the Sessions Court here today, after being found guilty of accepting a bribe of RM5,000, three years ago.
Judge Rozilah Salleh ruled that the defence had failed to raise reasonable doubt in the prosecution's case against Sergeant Azahar Adon, 56; Corporal Rosli Bali, 55; and retired Corporal Yusof Ali, 61.
She ordered them to serve the jail term from today and another six months should they fail to pay the fine.
The trio corruptly accepted RM5,000 from Mohd Rizal Jantan through a woman while based at the Narcotics Criminal Investigation Division, Subang Jaya district police headquarters, as an inducement not to take action against him for an alleged drug-related offence.
They committed the offence at a Petronas petrol station at Km2, Damansara-Puchong Expressway about 5pm on April 22, 2015.
The charge, under Section 17(a) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Act (MACC) 2009 carries on conviction, imprisonment of not more than 20 years and fine of five times the amount of the bribe, or RM10,000, whichever is higher.
The men's counsel Y. Sheelan Samuagam told the court that he would apply for a stay of the sentence pending appeal in the High Court.
Rozilah advised the lawyer to file the application by today as otherwise, his clients would have to head to prison and start serving their term immediately.
The prosecution was conducted by MACC prosecuting officer Mohammed Heikal Ismail. — Bernama