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KUALA LUMPUR: A group of five Ministry of Finance employees were fined between RM 1,500 and RM 2,000 each by the Court of Sessions here for failing to report corruption to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), the first such case in the country.
The Session Court Judge, Manira Mohd Noor, fined 1,500 ringgit each against Nurul Ashikin Zulkiflee, 33, and Azad Fadhmi Abdul Rahman, 34, while three others: Siti Nurkhairunnisa Adnan, 32, Mohd Fairus Hussin, 38, and Madiyana Mamat, 39, – were each sentenced to a fine of RM 2,000.
The group had pleaded guilty to the separate charges brought against them here on Wednesday (December 2).
The court also ordered them to serve three months in jail if they did not pay the fine.
According to the first to fifth charge sheets, each was accused of having received bribes between RM200 and RM600 to speed up the approval process for five companies to obtain bumiputra status and did not report the crime to the MACC.
The charge under Section 25 (1) of the MACC Act of 2009 carries a maximum fine of RM100,000 or a prison term of up to 10 years or both, upon conviction.
At the time of the crime, Siti Nurkhairunnisa, Madiyana and Azad Fadhmi were accounting assistants, Nurul Asyikin was an administrative assistant for finances, and Fairus was an administrative assistant.
They were all attached to the business registration unit of the government procurement division in the Ministry of Finance in Putrajaya.
The crimes were committed at his Finance Ministry unit, Putrajaya, between May 2018 and June 2020.
Deputy Prosecutor Wan Shaharudin Wan Ladin told the court that this was the Section’s first case to be taken to court in the country.
“Corruption is a disease in society. The defendants should have reported directly to the MACC when they were offered bribes, but they did not.
“Yes, the amount they were offered was quite small, but if you didn’t have the strength, you could have taken the bribe,” he said.
Meanwhile, lawyers Mohd Shahrullah Khan Nawab Zadah Khan and Muhamad Aizat Fakri asked the court to remove the jail terms and only impose a minimum fine not to exceed one month’s emoluments for the defendants so they do not lose their jobs.
Aizat said the defendants have families to support and have repented of their mistakes.
“They promise to report corruption to the authorities if it occurs,” he said.
Before sentencing, Manira advised the five defendants not to repeat the mistake, even if it involved a small amount, as corruption could destroy their future.
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