PETRA JAYA: The Kuching Special Court for Corruption charged five businessmen here today with offering bribes totalling RM20,500 to enforcement officers, last year.
One of the accused pleaded “guilty” to the charge, while four others claimed trial to committing the offences when they were produced before judge Nixon Kennedy Kumbong.
Bakery factory owner, Phang Tze Sin was slapped with a RM10,000 fine, in default of two months' jail, after he pleaded guilty to the offence.
Phang, 41, was also sentenced to a day’s imprisonment.
According to the facts of the case, Phang had offered a RM1,500 bribe to Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism enforcement officer, Mohd Aizat Mohd Nooraini, at his factory in Jalan Stakan Melayu, Kuching, near here at 12.30pm on Dec 21.
The bribe was an inducement to Aizat not to take action against Phang, who was allegedly in possession of controlled articles without valid permit.
Ling Mee Liong and Eng Chong Kok, aged 61 and 40 respectively, were jointly charged with offering a RM15,000 bribe to an enforcement officer from the State Customs Department at a cafe in Kota Padawan near here, on Oct 17.
The remaining two accused, who also pleaded “not guilty” to the charges made under Section 17(b) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009, were identified as Ting Heng Chuang, 50, and Ngu Ho Woon, 58.
Ting and Ngu were separately charged with offering bribes totalling RM4,000 to enforcement officers on Sept 6 and Dec 15, respectively.
The MACC prosecution team, comprising prosecuting officers Mohd Asri Abu Mansor and Katherine Nais, proposed bail of between RM10,000 and RM20,000 in two sureties for the four accused.
Nixon later fixed a court bail of between RM7,000 and RM15,000, in two sureties, against Lim, Eng, Ting and Ngu.
He also fixed hearing for between July 7 and July 19 for the cases.