TAWAU: A police officer was freed and acquitted from three corruption charges and three alternative charges without the need for a defence.
Special Sessions Court judge Jason Juga reached this decision after finding that the prosecution had failed to establish a prima facie case against the accused, Abdul Halil Mohd Zin, 64, at the end of the prosecution's case.
He said the court found the prosecution had failed to prove the necessary elements required to sustain the charges under Section 17(a) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2009 and Section 165 of the Penal Code.
As a result, the accused was released and acquitted of all charges without having to present a defence, and the bail money will be returned.
A total of 27 prosecution witnesses were called to testify during the trial.
Abdul Halil was charged on February 20, 2020, with three counts under Section 17(a) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2009 and three alternative counts under Section 165 of the Penal Code.
According to the charge sheet, he was accused of receiving RM2,800 in cash from Helmi Abdul Hamid as an inducement to release a wooden boat carrying petrol for export to the Philippines.
The accused, who was a warrant Officer at the time, was alleged to have committed the offence at the Tawau Barter Trade Port Travel Control Office and at a coffee house in a local hotel between November 2014 and March 2015.
The prosecution was led by MACC Prosecuting Officer Rekhraj Singh, while the accused was represented by lawyer Mohamed Zairi Zainal Abidin.