Singaporean student among two friends charged with offering Johor policeman RM90,000 bribe
File photo of the Malaysian Ringgit and the Singapore dollar in the background. (Photo: Jeremy Long)
JOHOR BAHRU: Two friends, including a Singaporean student, pleaded not guilty at the Sessions Court in Johor on Tuesday (Jan 17), to the charge of offering a bribe of RM90,000 (S$27,527) to a police officer last year.
Law Wen Xiang, 32, and Donavan Sia Qi Xun, 27, allegedly offered a bribe to a police officer from Johor Bahru's Commercial Crime Investigation Division (CCID).
It was an inducement not to take action against Sia, a Singapore citizen, who was already being investigated under Section 420 of Malaysia's Penal Code for cheating.
The incident reportedly took place in front of a restaurant in Taman Suria, Johor Bahru on Oct 17, 2022.
The bribery charge, an offence under Section 17(b) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009 and punishable under Section 24(1) of the same law, carries a fine of no less than five times the value of the given bribe, or RM10,000, whichever is higher, if found guilty.
The pair also pleaded not guilty to an alternative charge under Section 214 of the Penal Code - giving a bribe to a person in the position to screen an offender from legal action at the same place, time and date.
Law and Sia face imprisonment for a term which may extend to a quarter of the longest term of imprisonment provided for the offence, or with a fine, or both if found guilty.
According to The Star, Mohamad Isa, who represented Sia, informed the court that the accused was a student at a college in Kuala Lumpur and his expenses were borne by his parents in Singapore.
The lawyer also added that Sia had to take care of his girlfriend and three-month-old baby, and requested a bail of RM40,000.
Judge Ahmad Kamal Arifin Ismail set an individual bail of RM40,000 with one surety, and ordered the duo to report at the Johor MACC office every month.
The court set the next mention of the case for Feb 19.
