KUANTAN: A former managing director from a franchise restaurant was fined RM145,000 by the Sessions Court here today for failing to report bribery totalling some RM33,850 to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).
Singapore-national Cheung Wing Shing pleaded guilty to the two alternative charges before Judge Datuk Ahmad Zamzani Mohd Zain when the charge was read out in Mandarin by a court translator.
Ahmad Zamzani also ordered him to serve 16 months' jail in default if he could not pay the fine.
Cheung was charged with receiving bribes totalling:
* RM26,850 from a company managing director as an inducement to appoint the company as the contractor for a project to supply kitchen appliances for a restaurant worth RM2 million;
* RM7,000 from a 56-year-old engineering firm director after instructing the latter to pay for gambling debts.
The offences were committed at a financial institution in Genting Highlands, Bentong, on July 23, 2019, and Jan 14 this year respectively.
Both offences under Section 25 (1) of the MACC Act 2009 and punishable under Section 25 (2) of the same act provides for a fine not exceeding RM100,000 or imprisonment not exceeding 10 years or both.
In mitigation, Datuk Joshua Kevin, who represented Cheung, pleaded for light sentence saying his client was already 60-years-old and suffers hypertension.
"He cooperated well with MACC and pleaded guilty as soon as the charges were read to him. The accused had already served six days remand and this was his first offence.
"The accused is a philanthropist who has donated and helped a lot of people. We are aware of the seriousness of the offence but hope the fine will be low compared to the usual practice due to the economic downturn resulting from the pandemic," he said.
Meanwhile MACC deputy public prosecutor Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin urged the court to impose a deterrent sentence on the accused to strike a balance between the interests of the accused and the public.
"These days, there are a lot of blogs and social media sites like Twitter which always attack MACC and police....though there is no relevant proof. It is as though we are not serious in battling corruption.
"MACC will no longer tolerate those who are involved in corruption and we will instead be more serious in combating it," he said.
Ahmad Zamzani fined the accused RM85,000 in default 10 months' jail for the first offence, and RM60,000 fine or six months' jail for the second.
The accused was also represented by lawyers Ian Hannibal and Jeff Ng.