ALOR STAR: The Sessions Court here today sentenced two men to one day in jail and RM10,000 fine each, when they pleaded guilty to a charge of offering a bribe to the National Anti-Drugs Agency (NADA) to switch their urine test samples, two years ago.
The accused Goh Yee Chian, 28, and Yong Kim Loong, 39, pleaded guilty to a charge of offering a RM1,500 bribe to the NADA enforcement officer at the Immigration, Customs, Quarantine and Security (ICQS) Complex in Bukit Kayu Hitam about 10.30am on August 14, 2015.
The bribe was to induce the officer to switch their urine samples for a second drugs screening test, after the duo were tested positive for methamphetamine at the border checkpoint complex.
Yong, a e-hailing services driver and Goh, a former storekeeper, pleaded guilty when the charge was read by the court interpreter before Judge Azman Abu Hassan.
They were charged under Section 17(b) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009 which is punishable under Section 24(1) of the same Act, and read together with Section 34 of the Penal Code.
Both accused, who were not represented, appealed for a lighter sentence since they had pleaded guilty and were remorseful.
MACC Prosecuting Officer Shahrul Khuzaini Amiruddin urged the court to mete out heavy punishment against the duo as a deterrent.
"Corruption is not just about those who accept bribes but also those who offered bribes and this case should served as a lesson to both accused and the public out there," he said.