BUTTERWORTH: The Sessions Court here today fined a Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (APMM) officer RM7,000, in default of six months jail, for accepting a RM500 bribe six years ago.
Judge Zulhazmi Abdullah handed down the sentence against Mohd Fadzil Abdullah, 48, a grade T6 Bintara Muda Maritim, after he pleaded guilty to the offence.
At the start of the proceeding, deputy public prosecutor Afiqa Liyana Rozman informed the court that the defence had handed over a representation, whereby the accused would plead guilty to the first charge, and the court would take into consideration another four charges under the Criminal Procedure Code.
"We (the prosecution) have agreed to accept the representation," she said.
The charge was then read to Fadzil where he pleaded guilty to accepting RM500 through money transfer into a bank account by the owner of a fishery company, who has dealings with the accused's official work.
He pleaded guilty to committing the offence at Maybank, Wisma Jelutong on April 17, 2017.
The charge was framed under Section 165 of the Penal Code.
Earlier, Fadzil's counsel S.P. Raman pleaded for a minimum sentence for his client, saying he has to look after his aged mother, wife and six school-going children.
He told the court that his client was under medication for diabetes and high blood pressure.
"As soon as the representation was accepted, my client immediately pleaded guilty, saving the court's time and cost.
"The guilty plea should be taken in as a mitigating factor," he said.
Raman said his client had been cooperative with officers from the Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission (MACC) from the time of his arrest until his prosecution in court.
"My client regrets his action and is remorseful. His regret in itself is already a lesson and punishment to him.
"He may lose his position after what happened in court today despite serving for more than two decades. This is one of the biggest punishments he has to carry.
"After this, he still has to continue with his life," he added, noting that this was his client's first offence.
Meanwhile, Afiqa urged the court to consider three things when passing down the sentence — public interest, the seriousness of the offence and the punishment should be seen as a deterrent.
"The courts are supposed to be the guardian of public interest," she added.