POLICEMAN SENTENCED TO THREE YEARS JAIL, FINED RM80,000 FOR ACCEPTING BRIBES

SHAH ALAM, Nov 27 (Bernama) -- A policeman with the rank of corporal was sentenced to three years' jail and fined RM80,000 by the Sessions Court here today for accepting a bribe of RM16,000 two years ago. 

Judge Awang Kerisnada Awang Mahmud sentenced Azrol Khalil, 37, and ordered the accused to be jailed for a year if he fails to pay the fine.

Awang, when reading out his judgment, said the accused was found to be untrustworthy by obtaining money through corruption and thus was not eligible to wear the uniform of the forces.

"The accused as a policeman threatened the victim to pay a certain amount of bribes, all this was done because the accused had a position as a policeman, which means that the accused did not carry out his duties entrusted on him. Therefore, he is indeed ineligible to wear a police uniform," he said.

Azrol was charged with corruptly accepting RM16,000 in cash from a 50-year-old man as an inducement for him as a police officer to close a commercial criminal case against an individual who is being investigated by the Commercial Crime Investigation Division, Gombak District Police Headquarters.

The offence was committed at a restaurant in Taman Prima, Sri Gombak, Batu Caves on Feb 7, 2022.

He was charged under Section 16 (a)(B) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009 (Act 694) and punishable under Section 24 (1) of the same act  and upon conviction, the offender is liable to imprisonment not exceeding 20 years and a fine of not less than five times the amount or value of the bribe or RM10,000, whichever is higher.

However, the court granted a stay of the sentence after being asked by lawyer P.G Cyril, representing the accused, with the bail amount increased to RM10,000 from RM8,000 previously, and the payment was allowed to be made tomorrow. 

Earlier Cyril, in his appeal, asked the court to impose a minimum sentence on his client as it was his first offence and he had been suspended from duty with half salary compared to his original salary of RM2,700 per month and had to support his wife and children.

Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) prosecutor Mohd Aliff Shaharuzaman then asked the court to impose an appropriate sentence to signal the public not to be involved in the crime. 

"This is also in line with the anti-corruption policy. The accused had also used the names of his superior officers (when threatening for corrupt conduct) and this tarnished the name of the Royal Malaysian Police," he said. 

-- BERNAMA