ALOR SETAR, 28 Sept 2020:
A lorry driver was fined RM10,000 by the sessions court here, today after he pleaded guilty to offering a bribe of RM450 to a police officer, six years ago.
L.Gopalakrishnan, 62, made the plea after the charge against him was read out by the court interpreter before judge Murtazadi Amran.
He was charged with offering the bribe to a police inspector in return for not taking any action against him for possessing controlled goods – namely 9,506 litres of petrol without a valid licence, which is an offence under Section 21 of the Control of Supplies Act 1961.
The senior citizen was alleged to have committed the offence at No 7137 Jalan Kuala Benut, Sungai Karangan, Padang Serai in Kulim at 3.30am on 16 Oct 2014.
The accused was also charged under Section 214 of the Penal Code, punishable under the same Act, which upon conviction can be sentenced up to nine months’ jail or a fine or both.
In mitigation, the father of four said he was taking care of a disabled child, a student and another two who lost their jobs due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
In BUTTERWORTH, an assistant administrative officer at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) pleaded not guilty in the sessions court today to 52 counts of gratification, totalling RM135,445.90.
Zurina Abdul Hamid, 43, made the plea before judge Ahmad Azhari Abdul Hamid.
She was charged with using her position for gratification by submitting documents on delivery order and invoices from TZP Ventures, a company she has interests in, for payment for supply of office and sports equipment.
The offences were allegedly committed at the USM Sports and Recreation Centre between 31 Dec 2013 and 15 Dec 2017.
All the charges were framed under Section 23 (1) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act which provides an imprisonment for up to 20 years and a fine of not less than five times the sum of the gratification or RM10,000, whichever is higher, if found guilty.
Ahmad Azhari allowed Zurani, represented by lawyer S. Meharaj, bail of RM24,000 with one surety. She was also ordered to surrender her passport to the court and to report herself to a MACC office every month. The court set Nov 4 for mention.
– Bernama