Two Immigration Dept officers charged with corruption in JB

 

JOHOR BARU: Two Immigration Department officers have been charged at the Sessions Court here following a Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) operation called “Ops Selat” in Johor on Nov 16.

The accused, Azhar Ahmad M Salbi, 27, and Syafik Abu Khalipah, 25, faced eight corruption charges between them in front of Sessions Judge Kamarudin Kamsun here on Monday (Dec 14).

Azhar pleaded guilty to an alternative charge for accepting RM1,250 for issuing a stamp certificate of exit and entry of foreign passports some two years ago.

According to the charge sheet, Azhar, as an officer of the Immigration Department at the Bangunan Sultan Iskandar here, received RM500 and RM750 from two agents through his bank account as an inducement to issue the stamp without leaving Malaysia between Feb 20 and April 9,2018.

He was charged under Section 25(1) of the MACC Act and can be sentenced under Section 25(2) of the same Act, which carries a fine of not more than RM100,000, imprisonment for not more than 10 years or both upon conviction.

Kamarudin then sentenced Azhar to 12 months in jail since the date of his arrest and also slapped him with a fine of RM20,000, or six months in jail in default

Meanwhile, Syafik pleaded not guilty to seven bribery charges against him amounting to RM24,395 from the two same agents to issue the same stamp between Oct 22 and Sept 22 last year.

He was charged under Section 165 of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum imprisonment of not more than two years, a fine or both upon conviction.

Syafik also pleaded not guilty to two alternative charges in accepting RM21,275 between Oct 22 and Dec 29,2019 and RM3,120 under Section 25(1) of the MACC Act and can be sentenced under Section 25(2) of the same Act.

Kamarudin then set bail at RM40,000 with one surety, ordered Syafik to hand over his passport to the court and to report to the nearest MACC office one a month until the case is over and fixed Jan 21,2021 for mention of the case.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Suhaila Sapun prosecuted both cases while lawyers K. Kalaicelvan and G. Kamala represented Syafik while Azhar was not represented.

This follows a case in Penang on Monday morning where another Immigration officer detained under the same operation pleaded guilty to charges of bribery.

38-year-old Akashah Roslan was sentenced to 30 days in jail and fined RM12,000 when he pleaded guilty to three counts of bribery at the Butterworth Sessions Court. - Star