IPOH: Two police lance corporals and a former corporal have been jointly charged at the Sessions Court here for two counts of accepting about RM20,000 in bribes.
Former Koperal Wan Mohd Nor Imran Wan Seman, Lans Korperal Ahmad Rabani Rusnizal and Lans Korperal Mohamad Shukre Mohamed Rowi pleaded not guilty after the charges were read before Judge Meor Sulaiman Ahmad Tarmizi on Thursday (May 22).
In the first charge, all three were accused of accepting RM10,000 via bank transfer from one Azizi Norhafizi Abu Bakar, which was wired into L/Kpl Ahmad Rabani's bank account as an inducement to not take action against him for possessing syabu, which is an offence under the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 on July 24, 2023.
Therefore, they were alleged to have committed an offence under Section 17(a) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act, which was read together with Section 34 of the Penal Code.
For the second charge, all three were said to have committed the same offence the following day.
Those found guilty can be jailed for up to 20 years and fined no less than five times the bribes taken.
MACC prosecuting officer Mohd Zulfadli Azharudin proposed for bail to be set at RM10,000 for each of the three accused for the two charges.
He also requested the accused's passports to be surrendered and to report to the nearest MACC headquarters once every month.
Lawyer Siti Salwa Ja'afar, representing all three accused, pleaded for a lower bail, noting that their monthly salaries were only about RM1,700.
"In principle, a bail is to ensure their attendance in court, not as a punishment and should not be excessive to the extent that they cannot pay.
"All three accused attended court today on their own from Sungai Petani, Kedah, without bail, and they have pledged to attend the proceedings," she said.
Judge Meor Sulaiman set bail at RM5,000 with one surety each and June 26 for mention.
The accused were also ordered to report to the MACC office in Sungai Petani on the first Sunday of every month until the case is complete.
