ALOR STAR: Two policemen from the Kuala Muda police headquarters, who were accused of soliciting RM10,000 from two moneylenders they arrested for offering a RM1,290 bribe in April, have been released on bail.
The state Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) spokesman said the two cops were released on bail as their four-day remand period expires today.
It was reported that the MACC picked up the two policemen on Tuesday after a report was lodged by one of the two moneylenders in April, accusing the duo of soliciting a RM10,000 bribe from them.
The moneylender filed the police report the day they were released on bail by the MACC after being remanded for two days for offering RM1,290 to the police corporals, aged 34 and 37.
On April 11, the two policemen on patrol stopped two men at the Aman Jaya Mall in Sungai Petani on suspicion of carrying out illegal money-lending activities.
The men, aged 26 and 25, allegedly offered RM1,290 to the policemen as an inducement not to take action against them.
However, the policemen rejected the bribe and arrested the duo before handing them over to the MACC office in Sungai Petani, together with the cash as evidence.
Kedah police chief Datuk Asri Yusof subsequently rewarded them with an appreciation letter for their honesty in rejecting the bribe.
The two moneylenders were released by the MACC two days later and one of them subsequently lodged a police report claiming that the policemen had solicited RM10,000 from them.
However, police did not find any evidence of the alleged crime.
The men then forwarded the report to the MACC, leading to the arrest of the two policemen.