TWO FRIENDS CHARGED WITH BRIBERY OVER BIRTH CERTIFICATE APPLICATION PROCESS

KUALA LUMPUR, March 19 (Bernama) -- Two friends pleaded not guilty in the Sessions Court, here, today, to a charge of giving a bribe of RM17,000 to a registration assistant at the National Registration Department (NRD) in Putrajaya, last week, to facilitate a birth certificate application using forged supporting documents.

Yap Foo Siong, 57, a labourer, and Ang Lay Peng, 40, a food vendor, were jointly charged with giving a cash bribe to a registration assistant of Grade KP1, as a reward for assisting in the birth certificate application process using forged supporting documents, namely the birth registration document, JPN.LM01, and a birth confirmation letter.

They were accused of committing the offence at a fast food restaurant in Presint 2, Putrajaya, at 9.50 am on March 11.

The charge is framed under Section 17 (b) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2009, read together with Section 34 of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum prison sentence of 20 years and a fine of five times the value of the bribe or RM10,000, if convicted.

Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Selangor branch prosecuting officer, Muhammad Arif Asyraf Mohd Khairi, offered bail of RM90,000 for each accused, with additional conditions that their passports be surrendered to the court, reporting to the MACC office once a month and being prohibited from interfering with prosecution witnesses.

Lawyer Ethan W.H Tan, who represented both accused, applied for bail of RM2,000 on the grounds that his clients support their families.

Judge Suzana Hussin allowed each accused a bail of RM10,000 in one surety, along with additional conditions as requested by the prosecution and set April 22 for mention.

Meanwhile, in PUTRAJAYA, the Magistrate's Court here today fined five individuals RM3,000 each, after they pleaded guilty to providing false information when registering the births of five babies at the Putrajaya NRD office.

Magistrate Irza Zulaikha Rohanuddin imposed the fine on an assistant of bank vice president, Tan Eek Ming, 44; businessmen, Leong Hon Ming, 52, and Khor Wooi Huat, 48; as well as housewives, Beh Chui See, 31, and R. Nishanti, 37. She also ordered all accused to be jailed for three months if they failed to pay the fine.

All the accused paid the fine.

They were separately charged with submitting false information in the Birth Registration Form to obtain birth certificates for five babies at the Birth, Death, and Adoption Division Counter of the Putrajaya NRD between 8 am and 5 pm, from May 26, 2023, to Oct 11, 2024.

They were charged under Section 36(1)(b) of the Births and Deaths Registration Act 1957, which carries a maximum fine of RM20,000 or up to three years’ imprisonment, or both, upon conviction.

-- BERNAMA