KOTA KINABALU: Two Immigration Department officers have claimed trial to charges of bribery and being complicit in allowing nine undocumented migrants to travel out of Sabah to the peninsula using identity cards of other people.
The accused – Rosmaini Sapar, 40, and Elmin Salleh, 30 – pleaded not guilty when the charges were read to them in front of Judge Jason Juga at the Special Corruption Court in Tawau on Wednesday (May 10).
Juga fixed July 27 for the next mention of the case.
Rosmaini was charged under Section 16(a)(B) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009, which is punishable under Section 24 of the same Act.
Elmin was charged under Section 28(1)(c) of the MACC Act 2009, which was read together with Section 16(a)(B) and punishable under Section 24 of the same Act.
The charges – Section 28(1)(c) and Section 16(a)(B) – provides for imprisonment of up to 20 years and a fine of RM10,000 or not less than five times the amount of the bribe, whichever is higher, on conviction.
Rosmaini, who was attached to the Immigration office in UTC Tawau, was accused of accepting a bribe of RM4,500 from Rahma Mobin, 48, as an inducement to allow nine illegal immigrants to use others' MyKad to pass through the Immigration Counter 1 at the Tawau airport between 8.30am and 9am on March 23.
This was so that the nine people could board a flight to the KL International Airport 2 (KLIA2).
Rosmaini was accused of accepting the bribe at the Bank Muamalat Tawau branch at Lot 69 and 70, Ground and First Floor No G4 and G6, Kubota Square on March 22.
Elmin, who was attached to the Immigration office at Tawau airport, was accused of abetting Rosmaini to commit the crime.
The court allowed both accused RM10,000 bail each with the condition they surrendered their passports to the court as well as report themselves to the MACC office once in two months.
They were also ordered by the judge not to disturb the witnesses.
Prosecuting officer Nurul Izzati Sapifee appeared for the MACC while both the accused were represented by counsel Jhesseny P Kang.
In March, the MACC said they had busted a syndicate believed to be producing and selling fake entry permits, among others, for the past year.
The syndicate, which also comprised five enforcement officers, had been providing a "service" that enabled undocumented migrants to travel using someone else's MyKad.
The MACC uncovered the ruse by the group, which had been operating from Sabah's east coast Tawau district.
Nine people, including the enforcement officers, were arrested on March 23.
