Huat (left) and Chat waiting at the court payment counter to settle their fines.
KOTA KINABALU: A jobless man was jailed two days and fined RM20,000, in default, eight months’ jail for offering a bribe to a Labuan National Anti-drugs Agency (Nada) officer while his older brother was jailed a day and fined RM10,000, in default, four months’ jail for abetting the bribery.
Sessions Court judge Abu Bakar Manat imposed the sentences on Tan Kok Chat, 37, and Tan Kok Huat, 45, after they pleaded guilty to each of their charges under the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009 yesterday.
In the first case, Chat was jailed for a day and fined RM10,000, in default, four months’ jail for each charge of offering a total bribe of RM3,000 cash to one Alimulia En as an inducement not to take action against Chat who had committed an offence under Section 3 of the Drug Dependant (Treatment and Rehabilitation) Act 1983.
The offence took place at the Labuan Nada office on the first floor of Tabung Haji building in Labuan between 1 pm to 1.15 pm on April 21, 2016.
Offering a bribe is an offence under Section 17 (b) of the MACC Act 2009 and punishable under Section 24 of the same Act, which carries a jail term of up to 20 years and a fine of not less than five times the amount of bribe received or RM10,000, whichever is higher.
For the second case, Huat was sentenced to a day’s jail and fined RM10,000, in default, four months’ jail for abetting Chat to bribe the same person by giving Chat RM1,500 cash at the same place between 1.15 pm – 1.30 pm on the same day.
The offence was framed under Section 28(1)(b) of the MACC Act, read together under Section 17(b) of the same Act and punishable under Section 24 of the same Act.
In mitigation, both accused who were represented by counsel PJ Perira, pleaded for a lenient sentence while MACC prosecuting officer Schwartz Nasutiom requested for an appropriate sentence to be imposed against the accused.
The court also ordered both accused to serve the jail sentence starting from yesterday and for Chat’s jail term to run concurrently.