A POLICE sergeant claimed trial at the Kuala Terengganu Sessions Court today to 34 counts of bribery amounting to RM12,500 over a span of three years from 2019.

Mohd Izzham Halim, 36, who is attached to the Kemaman district police headquarters narcotics criminal investigations department, is accused of receiving bribes between RM50 and RM3,200 from an individual, as an inducement to channel information on narcotics operations between December 26, 2019 and March 10, 2022. 

The charges, under section 16(a)(B) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009, carry a maximum 20 years’ jail and a fine of not less than five times the amount of the gratification, or RM10,000, whichever is higher.

Judge Mohd Azhar Othman fixed bail at RM11,000 with one surety and ordered the accused to surrender his passport to court and to also report to the MACC office once a month. Case management was set for April 3. 

Meanwhile, at the same court, a company manager, Ezza Suria Muda, 38, was fined RM38,000 after pleading guilty to falsifying documents three years ago. 

She was charged with two counts of falsifying documents, namely the Employee Registration Form under the Employees’ Social Security (General) Regulations 1971 (Regulations 10, 12 and 12A) dated November 3, 2020 and November 23, 2020 at Akademi Binaan Malaysia in Hulu Terengganu in November 2020.

Ezza was charged under section 471 of the penal code, which carries a maximum jail term of two years or a fine or both.

Azhar also ordered that RM309,000 in the accused company’s account be forfeited to the Malaysian government. – Bernama, March 14, 2023.