SHAH ALAM: Two former and one current bank officer were fined a total of RM63,000 by the Sessions Court here on Tuesday (Nov 18) after pleading guilty to alternative charges of failing to report receiving bribes from a legal firm.
The accused, Koid Beng Seng, 34, Kong Tzu Mei, 39, and Rose Irnieda Mohamed, 45, entered their pleas before Judge Awang Kerisnada Awang Mahmud after the charges were read to them separately. Koid faced seven charges, while Kong and Rose Irnieda faced four and one charge, respectively.
Koid was accused of failing to report receiving bribes totalling RM17,520 from a legal firm to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) or the police.
The bribes were purportedly an inducement to recommend the said legal firm for the provision of seven loan agreement documents valued at RM3.8mil.
The offences were allegedly committed at a bank branch in Petaling Jaya on Feb 17, March 31, May 12, July 21, 2022, and Feb 23, 2022.
Meanwhile, Kong, a Team Manager at a bank, was similarly charged with failing to report the receipt of bribes totalling RM15,040, allegedly given by a legal firm, as an inducement to recommend the said firm for the provision of thirteen loan agreement documents valued at RM4.9mil.
The offences were allegedly committed at a bank branch in Petaling Jaya on Dec 24, 2019, July 21, 2020, Aug 30, 2021, and March 15, 2022.
As for Rose Irnieda, she was charged with a single count of the same offence, involving a bribe of RM2,183, as an inducement for her to recommend a legal firm to prepare two loan agreement documents valued at RM727,930.20.
The offence was allegedly committed on April 4, 2019, at a bank branch in Shah Alam.
All three individuals were charged under Section 25(1) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2009 (Act 694), which is punishable by imprisonment for up to ten years and liable to a fine not exceeding RM100,000, or both upon conviction.
Koid was represented by counsel David Chau, while Kong and Rose Irnieda were unrepresented.
MACC prosecuting officer Mohd Yasri Yahya conducted the prosecution against Koid, while MACC prosecuting officer Fatin Farhana Ismail and deputy public prosecutor Nurul Izzati Sapifiee prosecuted Kong and Rose Irnieda, respectively.
The court imposed the following fines: RM31,000 on Koid, with a default sentence of two years and seven months' imprisonment; RM28,000 on Kong, with a default of two years and four months; and RM4,000 on Rose Irnieda, with a default of four months.- Bernama
