MELAKA: A former bank sales manager has been fined RM210,000 by the Sessions Court here after pleading guilty to 20 alternative charges of accepting RM211,636 in bribes between May 2018 and September 2022.
Mohamad Faqih Mustapha, 37, entered the plea after the charges were read before judge Elesabet Paya Wan on Monday (Feb 2).
He was accused of receiving 19 transfers ranging from RM880 to RM16,723, deposited into his sister’s bank account, and one transfer into his own account, as an inducement for assisting law firms obtain referrals for housing loan cases from the bank where he was employed.
He was accused of failing to report the receipt of these bribes to a Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) officer or a police officer, as required under Section 25(1) of the MACC Act 2009.
He committed the offences at a bank in Graha Peladang, Jalan Hang Tuah, between May 2018 and September 2022.
The charges were brought under Section 25(2) of the Act, which provides for a maximum fine of RM100,000, imprisonment of up to 10 years, or both upon conviction.
His lawyer, Azrul Zulkifli Stork, pleaded for the minimum fine for each alternative charge, as this was Faqih’s first offence, that he was remorseful for his actions, and was currently unemployed.
However, deputy public prosecutor Sharina Farhana Nor Sa’ari urged the court to impose a commensurate sentence.
Faqih was subsequently ordered to pay a fine of RM210,000, with the stipulation that failing to do so would result in a prison sentence of two to four months in default.
He settled the fine.
The court also ordered the return of the accused’s bail money of RM87,000. – Bernama
