FORMER SENIOR POS MALAYSIA OFFICER FINED RM170,000 FOR ACCEPTING BRIBES

MELAKA, Sept 24 (Bernama) -- A former Head of Planning for the Transport Management Division of Pos Malaysia Berhad was fined RM170,000 by the Ayer Keroh Sessions Court today after pleading guilty to 17 alternative charges of receiving bribes amounting to RM133,000 four years ago.

Judge Elesabet Paya Wan handed down the sentence to Hazri Mokhtar, 45, and also ordered him to serve 51 months in prison if he fails to settle the fine.

Hazri was accused of failing to report to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) or the Royal Malaysia Police the receipt of RM133,000 in bribes as inducement for expediting payments by Pos Malaysia Berhad to OnxOn Logistik Sdn Bhd for outsourcing work related to Linehaul and Shuttle Services in Sabah and Sarawak.

The offences were committed at Bank Simpanan Nasional Melaka Main, Lot No. 779, Jalan Munshi Abdullah, and Maybank Melaka Main, No. 114 & 114A, Graha Peladang, Jalan Hang Tuah, between July 8, 2020, and Oct 11, 2021.

He was charged under Section 25(1) of the MACC Act 2009 (Act 694) which carries a maximum fine of RM100,000 or up to 10 years in prison, or both, upon conviction.

Earlier, Hazri’s lawyer Mohammad Amir Aizat Abd Rani, appealed for leniency, citing that his client is supporting a wife, and three children aged between eight and 20 years old, has been dismissed from his job, and now runs a small business earning between RM2,500 and RM3,000 per month.

However, deputy public prosecutor Fatin Nur Athirah Zainudin requested a fitting sentence to serve as a deterrent to the accused and the public.

-- BERNAMA