Senior Immigration Officer Claims Trial To Four Graft Charges

SHAH ALAM, Jan 19 (Bernama) -- A senior Malaysian Immigration Department officer pleaded not guilty at the Sessions Court today to four counts of taking RM140,000 in bribes to illegally admit 56 Bangladeshi nationals into the country. 

Mastura Aziz, 48, entered her plea after the charges were read to her before Judge Datuk Mohd Nasir Nordin.

She is accused of receiving RM140,000 in bribes from a foreign national while serving as a deputy assistant director at KLIA Terminal 1, as an inducement to bypass official immigration procedures.

The offences are alleged to have occurred on May 3, 7, 11, and 15, 2025, at a shopping centre in Sepang, the Kota Warisan Bandar Hawker Centre in Bandar Baru Salak Tinggi, and a petrol station on Persiaran Warisan Maju.

She was charged under Section 16(a)(B) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years’ imprisonment and a fine of not less than five times the value of the bribe or RM10,000, whichever is higher.

MACC deputy public prosecutor Irna Julieza Maaras proposed bail of RM50,000 along with additional conditions. 

However, the accused’s lawyer, Datuk Geethan Ram Vincent, applied for a reduced bail of RM10,000, citing his client’s unblemished record of attendance at all previous proceedings and her readiness to comply with any court-imposed conditions.

The judge subsequently set bail at RM20,000 with one surety for all charges.

He also ordered the accused to report monthly to the nearest MACC office and scheduled Feb 25 for the next case mention. 

-- BERNAMA