Photo shows the Kuching Court Complex. — Photo by Chimon Upon
KUCHING (Aug 23): The Sessions Court here today fined two bus drivers RM8,000 in default six months in jail each for bribing Immigration officers.
Peter Whan Jiew Luk, 54, and Robert Dana Apang, 45 offered RM1,100 to the officers as inducement for not taking action against them when they were suspected to have ferried illegal immigrants.
They pleaded guilty to the alternative charge before Judge Steve Ritikos, who convicted them under Section 214 of the Penal Code, which provides for a maximum jail term of 10 years, or a fine, or both, upon conviction.
With their plea of guilty, the main charge under Section 17(b) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2009, was dropped.
When the case was first mentioned in court, the duo claimed trial only to change their minds this morning.
They committed the offence in a bus at KM0.75 along the Pan Borneo Highway towards Betong.
In an unrelated case, a man was fined RM10,000 in default six months in jail for bribing a policeman with RM3,000 as an inducement for not taking action against him when he was suspected of contravening a Customs regulation.
Kho Yak Choon, 55, pleaded guilty before Ritikos, who convicted him under Section 214 of the Penal Code.
Kho committed the offence in Sri Aman at 1.30pm on Feb 15.
According to the MACC, he was suspected to be in control of 160 boxes of contraband alcoholic beverages.
MACC prosecutor Azmi Yusuf and Miller Jawoi prosecuted the cases respectively, while all three accused persons were not represented by counsel.