A day's jail each for four illegal loggers

KUCHING: Four illegal loggers were each sentenced to a day's jail and fined a total of RM80,000 for trying to bribe enforcement officers to protect their activities.

Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission (MACC) said in a statement that Pau Yu Tek, 54, Ting Chuong Mew, 72, Tang Chung Yieng, 28, and Ngu Kok Tung, 37, pleaded guilty before judge Nixon Kennedy Kumbong of the Limbang special corruption court.

Pau, a part-time logging contractor, who operated illegally in Limbang, was fined RM50,000 for offering a bribe of RM10,000 to Asst Supt Pabilah Abdullah, an intelligence officer with the General Operations Force (PGA).

He offered the bribery to avoid action being taken against his company for undertaking logging activities without a permit in Lawas town, Limbang last Sept 10.

Ting was fined RM10,000 for RM1,000 to Pabilah last Sept 9 in Lawas town, as an inducement not to take action against him for harvesting timber without a permit.

Tang was fined RM10,000 for offering RM1,000 to MACC officer ASP Sendry Ugi last Sept 1 as an inducement not to take action against him for hiring foreign workers without valid work permits.

Ngu was fine RM10,000 for offering RM300 to Sendry last Sept 1 so as not to take action against him for transporting logs using barges without valid port documents.

They were charged under section 17(b) of the MACC Act 2009 which carries a jail term not exceeding 20 years and fines not more than five times the value of the bribe or RM10,000 whichever is higher.

All four accused paid their fines. MACC prosecuting officer Kathrine Nais appeared for the prosecution. - Bernama