Cop claims trial to taking RM20,000 bribe

JOHOR BARU: A police sergeant pleaded not guilty at the Sessions Court here to accepting a RM20,000 bribe as an inducement to stop investigating an individual in 2022.

S. Usha Nanthiny, 35, claimed trial after the charges were read to her in front of Sessions judge Siti Noraida Sulaiman here on Monday (Jan 15).

According to the charge sheet, the accused received RM20,000 in cash from a man while working as a police sergeant at the Segamat police district headquarters.

The money was allegedly an inducement for the accused not to arrest the man's wife, who was being investigated under Section 408 of the Penal Code for criminal breach of trust.

The offence was allegedly committed at the accused's office in the Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) at 4.50pm on Aug 28, 2022.

The act is an offence under Section 17(a) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009 for accepting a bribe, read together with Section 24(1) of the same Act.

It carries a jail term of up to 20 years and a fine of not less than five times the bribe involved, or up to RM10,000, whichever is higher, upon conviction.

The case was prosecuted by Nik Lokman Hakim Nik Mohd Nor of the MACC and DPP Zander Lim Wai Keong, while the accused was represented by S. Selvatheran.

During the proceeding, Lim suggested that bail be set at RM15,000 owing to the severity of the case, along with two additional terms for the accused to report to the MACC office in Segamat once every month and to hand over her international passport to the court.

Selvatheran, in mitigation, requested a lower bail as Usha Nanthiny had to take care of her two children, aged five and six, and her elderly in-laws.

The court then allowed bail at RM12,000 with one surety, along with the additional terms, and the accused posted bail.

The court also set March 24 for next mention.