Police Inspector Pleads Not Guilty To Corruption, Cheating

KUALA TERENGGANU, March 12 (Bernama) -- A police inspector pleaded not guilty in the Sessions Court here today to three charges of accepting and soliciting bribes, as well as defrauding bail money totalling RM5,300.

Mohamad Syazuwan Jemaan, 32, entered the plea before Judge Azman Mustapha.

He is accused of taking RM300 and soliciting RM4,000 from a woman to release her from police remand and not charge her for a commercial crime.

The charges are framed under Section 16(a) (B) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009, which carries a jail term of up to 20 years and a fine of five times the value of the bribe or RM10,000, whichever is higher, if convicted.

For the third charge, Mohamad Syazuwan is charged with corruptly attempting to obtain RM4,000 in cash from the woman as an inducement not to prosecute her for a commercial crime.

The charge, under Section 17(a) of the MACC Act 2009, carries a maximum sentence of 20 years imprisonment and a fine of five times the value of the bribe or RM10,000, whichever is higher upon conviction.

All the offences were allegedly committed at the Investigating Officer's Room of the Commercial Crime Investigation Division of the Dungun District Police Headquarters at 9 am on Jan 26, 5.20 pm on Feb 3 and 2.15 pm on Feb 5 this year, respectively.

Mohamad Syazuwan was also charged with deceiving a woman into handing over RM1,000 in cash as bail to release her sister from police remand, when no bail was actually required for the release.

 The offence was committed between 10.15 am and 12.30 pm on Jan 21 at the same location.

The charge was framed under Section 420 of the Penal Code, which provides a maximum imprisonment of 10 years, whipping and a fine, upon conviction.

He was allowed bail of RM12,000 in one surety for all four charges and also ordered to report to the nearest MACC office every month, is prohibited from possessing or making a passport throughout the case and is not allowed to interfere with prosecution witnesses.

The prosecution was conducted by MACC Deputy Public Prosecutor Rabiatul Addawiyah Mohd Noorlee, while the accused was represented by lawyer Nur Jawahir Mohd Zulmajdi.

The court set April 15 for mention for the submission of documents.

-- BERNAMA