MELAKA: A former bank sales manager was fined RM210,000 by the Sessions Court here yesterday for accepting bribes of more than RM200,000 over a five-year period.
The accused, Mohamad Faqih Mustapha, 37, pleaded guilty to 20 alternative charges of accepting RM211,636 in bribes between May 2018 and September 2022.
Mohamad Faqih was accused of receiving 19 transfers ranging from RM880 to RM16,723, deposited into his sister’s bank account, as well as one transfer into his own account.
The money was allegedly given as an inducement for assisting law firms in obtaining 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.
He was said to have 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 same 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.
He said this was Mohamad Faqih’s first offence and that his client was remorseful for his actions and currently unemployed.
Deputy public prosecutor Sharina Farhana Nor Sa’ari urged the court to impose a sentence fitting of the crime.
Mohamad Faqih was ordered to pay a RM210,000 fine or face two to four months’ imprisonment in default. He settled the fine. The court also ordered the return of the accused’s bail money of RM87,000.
The case was presided over by Judge Elesabet Paya Wan.
